Tristan Jarry Is The Number One Goalie For The Pittsburgh Penguins, Right?

Tristan Jarry (35), plays goalie in a game against the Arizona Coyotes on December 6th, 2019.

SOURCE: Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Yesterday, I saw Matt Murray give up four goals to the fifth place Vancouver Canucks, that resulted in a loss. After watching that game, I really thought to myself if "Tristan Jarry is truly the number one goalie for the Pittsburgh Penguins going into the calendar year of 2020?"

After Matt Murray watched Tristan Jarry played the previous five games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, in which Jarry has a 4-1 record, I really thought that Murray would show up in the next game that he started.

It's not like Murray was playing against the Blues, Coyotes, Golden Knights, or Avalanche. He was playing against the Canucks on Saturday. When Penguins head coach, Mike Sullivan, decided that Murray was going to be the starting goalie against Canucks, he must have thought that Murray would have to do good because he is playing against a team that is not doing well. Even after the Canucks winning last night, they are still in fifth place in the Pacific Division.

So, look at it like this. This season, Jarry's record is 11-5 while Murray's record is 10-6-4. Yes, I know that Murray has played more games than Jarry, this season. You would think that since Murray has played four more games than Jarry, that he would have more wins, but that is not the case. Jarry has won the last four games that he has started and is 10-2 in the last twelve games that he has played. The fact that Jarry posted back to back shutouts, in early December, against the defending Stanley Cup champions in the St. Louis Blues and a red-hot Arizona Coyotes team has to make you think that Jarry should be the guy in net for the rest of the season.

Jarry has posted three shutouts in the month of December, all of them which have been at home. Murray has started more games than Jarry and has posted one shutout, this season.

However, with Jarry playing at a high level, it is good for Matt Murray. After former Penguins goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury got selected by the Vegas Golden Knights, in the 2017 NHL expansion draft, Murray probably thought that he does not have to work as hard since he got the starting goalie position for the Penguins and no one is trying to chase him out. Now, this season, Jarry is making a case of how he should be the number one goalie in Pittsburgh, and he is showing it. Murray has competition and if he wants to be back to the Penguins number one goalie, he has to play as a high of a level as Jarry.

To me, before Marc-Andre Fleury went to Vegas, Matt Murray played better than Fleury in the 2015-16, and 2016-17 NHL season because Murray wanted the number one goalie position and he got it after Fleury left.

With the Metropolitan Division being so tough, the Penguins need two goalies to win this division or even just make the playoffs. The Penguins have a pretty decent record, right now, as they have an overall record of 21-11-4 (46 points). They are currently ranked fourth in the Metropolitan Division because the current three teams above them just keep on winning in the Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, and Carolina Hurricanes. If the Penguins were in the Atlantic Division, in the Eastern Conference, they would be in second place behind the Boston Bruins. Yes, the Metropolitan Division is just that strong.

The Penguins next game will be on Friday December 27th, 2019 against the Nashville Predators in Nashville. If it is Murray or Jarry that will start that game, one of them better do good because they will have a lot of rest as the entire team will not play a game for five whole days. The NHL season is continuing to become entertaining as fans have a better idea of what each team is like.

BY Hilton: bythebossandgoat@gmail.com and Twitter @BYHilton13