PITTSBURGH — Tristan Jarry, playing for the first time in more than three weeks after sustaining an injury, picked up where he left off on Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena.

And it’s a good thing.

The Penguins, who went 2-2-3 without Jarry, didn’t play their best game in the annual Thanksgiving Eve game in Pittsburgh, but their goaltender was there to deliver a much-needed victory in a 4-2 win.

Jarry stopped 29 of 31 shots to improve his record to 6-2-0.

His best work came in the final minutes. The Sabres orchestrated quite a third-period push and outshot the Penguins on the evening 31-19.

Jarry, though, was up to the task. He made a couple of stunning saves on Jason Zucker and Alex Tuch while the Penguins were ahead 3-2 late in the third period to preserve the victory.

It was a holiday Party on Fifth Ave 🎉 pic.twitter.com/PCrLnEJlH6

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 27, 2025

Matt Dumba, Bryan Rust, Kevin Hayes and Connor Dewar scored for the Penguins, who next play on Friday in Columbus before returning home for a tilt against the Maple Leafs on Saturday.

The night, however, belonged to Jarry.

Not many people believed he’d be a fixture in the Penguins’ lineup at this time last season, when he was banished to Wilkes-Barre for the first of two times. However, in his third appearance in Pittsburgh late last season, he appeared to find his game.

This has clearly carried over into this season.

“Obviously, he’s been through it a bit,” Rust said. “I think, to see him come back this year, play well, have an injury, come back, have a huge game for us — probably the reason why we won that game — I think that’s big.”

Jarry was injured in Toronto on Nov. 3.

Earlier in the day, Sergei Murashov was returned to Wilkes-Barre. While Artūrs Šilovs has earned his share of playing time, Jarry still has an opportunity to be the guy for the Penguins, at least for this season.

He’s produced a 2.53 GAA and a .914 save percentage so far, showing flashes of his all-star form.

“I (wanted) to come back seamlessly,” he said. “The training staff, (goaltending coach Andy Chiodo), the coaches, they all did a great job. When you’re able to integrate back with the team like that, I think it helps a lot.”

Ten postgame observations 

• It’s easy to be impressed by Murashov’s talent and personality. Make no mistake, he’s the future.

It’s also easy to be intrigued by Šilovs, the 24-year-old Latvian who has been very good this season. He has room to grow and the Penguins are rightfully excited about him.

Let’s give Jarry some serious credit, though.

Think about what he’s been through over the past few years. He’s been banished to Wilkes-Barre — twice — and has felt the wrath of the fan base on more than one occasion. And yet, it was those same fans who were chanting his last name at the conclusion of regulation on Wednesday.

This is quite a redemption story and I think it says a lot about his character.

• The better Jarry plays, the better it is for the Penguins.

For one, he’s been one of their more important players in what has been a surprisingly good start to the season. Also, you’re going to hear his name popping up in trade rumors as the season elapses, especially if he keeps playing at this level.

Despite his recent work, the Penguins would still be wise to unload his contract. It would certainly appear that Jarry is not the future and, if they could get an asset in return, that only helps the building Penguins’ cause.

In case you haven’t noticed, goaltending around the NHL isn’t very good right now. If he keeps playing like this, there will be interest.

• I loved everything about Jarry’s game on Wednesday.

More than anything, he was aggressive and challenged shooters.

He’s always at his best when he’s doing this. When he sits back in his crease, he struggles.

Jarry looked completely locked in. Despite Šilovs’ strong play, I’d be tempted to ride Jarry a bit if he’s going to continue playing at this level. We’ve seen him get hot before, especially during this time of year. He had that look on Wednesday. The Penguins are about to embark on the most difficult stretch of their season’s schedule in December. Hot goaltending can go a long way.

• It was a vintage Rust goal, and not just the determination that we saw on the goal, but the timing.

TRUSTY RUSTY.#ULTRAMoments pic.twitter.com/2bzG4QuUmt

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 27, 2025

The Penguins were up 1-0 most of the evening but allowed the Sabres to even the contest in the third period. Protecting leads has been a major issue for this team in recent weeks.

Rust, who was so sick that he couldn’t practice on Monday or Tuesday, came through with the game’s biggest goal, like he’s done so often in his Penguins career.

That’s just who he is.

• I continue to love Erik Karlsson’s game even though he and defense partner Parker Wotherspoon didn’t have their best performance.

The pass he made on Hayes’ goal speaks for itself.

BIG HAYESY WITH HIS FIRST OF THE YEAR. pic.twitter.com/ZztgauLP1p

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 27, 2025

Not many players can display that amount of patience, vision and execution. It was a classic Karlsson play.

His work in the defensive zone has been considerably better this season, primarily because of his ability to use his skating to defend. There was never anything wrong with his offensive game. It remains special.

• Dumba scored a goal, which is great.

The first in the black and gold for Matt Dumba 💪 pic.twitter.com/SbBZEHXzQv

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 27, 2025

But I was more impressed with the physical nature of his performance and some of his defensive work.

I’m of the opinion that he’s separated himself a bit from Connor Clifton as the best defensive option on the right side of the third pairing.

Dumba was outstanding in training camp and I think he deserves the opportunity to play in a string of games. He can still play.

• I didn’t really like the Penguins’ game against Buffalo. They weren’t terribly by any stretch, but I thought the Sabres carried the play for much of the evening, especially in the third period.

The Penguins were somewhat fortunate to score four times because they really didn’t generate a ton of offense.

Their injury situation continues to be a legitimate problem. It’s handcuffing how much offense this team can produce.

• Tristan Broz made his NHL debut on Wednesday. He recorded two shots on goal in 11:30.

He didn’t make much of an impact in this game, but let’s give him some time. I believe he has a chance to be a nice NHL player.

• Poor Buffalo. The Sabres played really hard and were the better team most of the night. Yet they now find themselves in last place in the Eastern Conference.

They’ve been bad for far too long. Buffalo is a truly great sports town and it deserves better.

• There wasn’t anything pretty about this game, and as I noted above, I didn’t think the Penguins played well. They played hard. But they didn’t play well.

Still, sometimes, you just want to win a game. I think that was the case.

High marks to Jarry for delivering a victory. Looking at the big picture, though, the Penguins’ level of play has dropped noticeably in recent weeks.

Maybe it’s the injuries. Maybe they still have a flawed lineup and October was a bit of a mirage.

Or, maybe they’re about to heat up again, thanks in part to what we’ve seen from Jarry. This game gave the Penguins a much-needed two points.

Let’s see where they go from here. A big weekend awaits.