Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry auditioned for a spot on the power-play unit near the end of the team’s 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night. With an empty-net tally in the third period, Jarry became the first goalie in Penguins history to score a goal.
With just over a minute remaining in regulation, the Lightning were pushing for the tying goal when they dumped the puck in on Jarry. The dump-in was quick and right on Jarry’s stick, and without hesitation, Jarry flung the puck back down the ice.
Jarry’s shot soared through the air, reaching a peak of 16.4 feet above the ice, and bounced into the empty net at the other end of the rink.
The Pittsburgh netminder was immediately mobbed by his teammates, and after the game, Jarry explained what he saw on the play.
“I think it was kind of the perfect scenario,” Jarry said. “They dumped it right on net, and I didn’t even have to stop it. I just shot it on the fly, and it ended up going in.”
Jarry said it was a great feeling to accomplish such a rare feat, but he also noted that it was a very important two points for a Penguins team trying to climb back into the thick of the playoff race.
“It’s pretty neat, honestly,” Jarry said. “It’s something that doesn’t happen very often. There’s very few that have done it. It’s something pretty cool, but honestly the win means more.”
Jarry became just the fourth goalie in the last 10 years to light the lamp. Linus Ullmark did it with the Boston Bruins last season, Pekka Rinne scored for the Nashville Predators in 2020, and Mike Smith scored for the Arizona Coyotes in 2013.
