Pens Will Start Playoffs Without Tristan Jarry, Jason Zucker

The Pittsburgh Penguins will have to offset the loss of two key players when the puck drops on their opening-round series against the New York Rangers. Head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed that the Pens aren’t expecting Tristan Jarry and Jason Zucker in the lineup for the first couple of games of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal.

This season, Jarry has been a backbone for the Penguins, posting a career-best 2.42 goals-against average, ranking sixth among qualified goalies in the NHL, and 21.1 goals saved above average, surpassing his previous goal high of 11.1.

Mum is the word for injuries in the NHL Playoffs, but Jarry was spotted wearing a walking boot and hasn’t played since April 14.

Casey DeSmith has been the Penguins’ go-to option, with their primary goalie unavailable. DeSmith has been a reliable replacement, posting a 91.4% save percentage and 5.5 goals saved above average across his 24 starts this season.

Zucker serves as a depth option for the Penguins’ forwards corps, recording 17 points in 41 games.

The Penguins opened as modest favorites in their series against the Broadway Blueshirts but have seen the price shift away from them as the opener nears. Pittsburgh is currently listed as slight -105 underdogs at FanDuel Sportsbook.