3 Takeaways From Penguins’ 5-3 Win Over Blues

However, following the deadline, the Penguins called Jarry back up to the NHL from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Since being recalled for the second time, Jarry has played three games. In the first, he saved 29 of 30 shots in the Penguins’ 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild, then followed that up with a 35-save performance in the Penguins’ 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.

On Thursday night, Jarry started in net for the third straight game for the Penguins. In this game against the Blues, he made 33 saves and saved 0.13 goals above expected. Jarry is now 3-0-0 since being brought back to the NHL. In these three games, he has a .942 SV%, a 1.99 GAA, 4.28 goals saved above expected and a .958 SV% on high-danger chances. It might be safe to say Jarry is back!

2 Trade Deadline Pickups Score 1st Goal With Penguins

The Penguins acquired Conor Timmins and Connor Dewar in a three-team trade that involved the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. These two combined for six goals in their 149 games played for the Maple Leafs. Now, in just their third game for the Penguins, they managed to score their first goal as Penguins in the same period.

Timmins was the first former Maple Leaf to get on the board early in the second period after the puck was rimmed around the boards in the offensive zone. Timmins picked the puck up off of the wall, walked into the circle and beat Jordan Binnington far side on a well-placed wrist shot.

Dewar then scored the Penguins’ next goal of the game late in the second period when he got lost behind the Blues defensemen and found himself alone on the backdoor, where Blake Lizotte made an excellent cross-ice pass to find Dewar for an easy tap-in.

While neither will be putting up eye-popping offensive numbers, it is nice to see them getting comfortable in Pittsburgh. Timmins is an excellent depth option. He is a solid puck mover, which is an asset most depth defensemen don’t have. Dewar is similar in that he excels in a specific role. He is an excellent defensive forward who can play big minutes on the penalty kill. With the Penguins being so top-heavy offensively, I am sure they will welcome any production from depth players, whether it will be consistent or not.

Rickard Rakell Scores 30th Goal

Rickard Rakell was the Penguin most talked about leading up to the deadline. There was plenty of speculation that general manager Kyle Dubas would trade the 31-year-old Swedish sniper while his value was at its peak, despite having another year on his contract. Ultimately, Rakell remained a Penguin once the March 7 trade deadline passed, which showed that the Penguins’ management is still committed to fielding a competitive roster in seasons to come.

Rakell had three assists in two games following the deadline. On Thursday night against the Blues, he was originally credited with the Penguins’ fourth goal of the game, which would have been his 30th of the season. However, it was later determined that Bryan Rust got a piece of Rakell’s shot, and was credited for the goal.

Later, Rakell would get that 30th goal of the season back when he iced the game for the Penguins, scoring an empty-net goal with eight seconds left in the game. This finalized a 5-3 Penguins win over the Blues.

This is the fourth time Rakell has scored 30 goals in a season, but it is the first time he has done so since he was with the Anaheim Ducks in the 2016-17 season.

The Penguins have now won three straight games. They have been much better defensively, and as a result, they have much better goaltending. While it is too little, too late to compete this season, the Penguins need to continue to work on their system and develop an identity before the season ends.