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First Interview: Mike Sullivan Discusses Tristan Jarry; Zach Frazier thinks he’ll be “ready” after the bye

Posted on by Gerres
First Interview: Mike Sullivan Discusses Tristan Jarry; Zach Frazier thinks he’ll be “ready” after the bye

Thursday’s “First Call“ includes a message from Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan to struggling goaltender Tristan Jarry. Zach Frazier and Nick Herbig talk about their health. This is Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith history how the team decided to bring in Corliss Waitman.

There were also several Pirates connections to the final World Series game.

Keeping the faith

Penguins they continue to work with Joel Blomqvist and Alex Nedeljkovic in goal. That’s because Tristan Jarry has a conditioning assignment in Wilkes-Barre in hopes that I will get it his playing is right.

On Wednesday night’s coaching show, head coach Mike Sullivan insisted the team had not given up on Jarry despite his struggles last year and a rocky start to the season.

“I know the quality of the goalkeeper that he is and what he is capable of. He was named to the All-Star team twice. It doesn’t happen by accident“ Sullivan he said on 105.9 The X. “It takes a long time to get to a certain level period of time To it will happen. My message to him is that we believe in him, AND was trying to provide him with a path to re-capture his best game.“

Jarry is 1-1 in three NHL appearances this season. He allowed 12 goals on 73 shots for a save percentage of .836 and a goals against average of 5.47.

The Penguins’ goals-against average of 4.27 is the worst in the NHL yet. The Pens took 389 shots against the team, the most in hockey.

Jarry has won two games so far in Wilkes-Barre, stopping 59 of 64 shots.

Will Zach come back?

Zach Frazier described himself as an “optimist.”“ about getting back into action after saying goodbye this weekend.

“That’s why I take photos,“ Frazier said Wednesday when I asked him about the prospect of standing in a spacesuit against Washington’s commanders on November 10.

The Steelers’ rookie center hasn’t played since suffering an ankle injury in Las Vegas during a Week 6 win over the Raiders.

“I am I’m planning to stay this week and rehabilitation (in Pittsburgh) and try to get back to Washington. That’s the goal“ Frazier continued. “I feel better every day. As I continue to rehab and trust her… I think I’ll be ready.”

Frazier says he is “walking well.“ Now he says the next step will be to run at full speed. In his absence, the Steelers played center Ryan McCollum.

“I think he’s doing great. He has Really he got up,“ Frazier said about McCollum. “He came face to face with two Really good D-Lines and I think he played Really All right.”

In McCollum’s two starts at center, the Steelers managed to rush for 149 yards against the New York Jets and 167 yards against the New York Giants.

Injured outside linebacker Nick Herbig also expressed optimism about a potential return to action against Washington. He is missed three games in a row due to a hamstring injury.

Take care

One of the unsung heroes of the Steelers, who started the game 6-2, is quarterback Corliss Waitman. He was signed as a free agent following Cameron Johnston’s one-year hiatus due to a knee injury in Week 1.

Waitman did a great job. The team ranks eighth in the NFL in punts within 20 yards (15 of them). They are tied in fifth place with 11 forced fair catches.

In terms of starting position, the Steelers entered Monday night’s game against the New York Giants starting with a defensive average of 26.2 yards. This is the second-best mark in the NFL, and Waitman’s hitting has a lot to do with it.

Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith said during a call with reporters Wednesday it was real Waitman Holding Skills This he secured the job during a competition of available players to replace Johnston.

Smith said that because Waitman was already a practice squad player with the Steelersthey knew he could keep kicker Chris Boswell.

“There is a certain familiarity. WITH kicker we haveholding is very important,“ Smith said. “We know how to develop a handle and we have developed it before. He liked it and was thus invited back. He is a true professional and won this competition when we had so many players. He hits well.

Whatever Waitman does while holding the ball, it works. This year, Boswell is 39-40 in place kicks.

Pirate ties

The World Series was over and the Dodgers won 4-1. They defeated the New Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 on Wednesday night. There was an old Pirates flavor on the mound.

Former Bucco All-Star Gerrit Cole started on the mound for the Yankees. He was relieved by Clay Holmes, and former Pirates draft pick Walker Buehler finished playing for the Dodgers.

Cole didn’t make a decision. The Yankees blew a 5-0 lead after three bad plays in the fifth quarter. Aaron Judge dropped the ball out of the air. Anthony Volpe made a throwing error. Cole then had a miscommunication with Anthony Rizzo at first base, which allowed Mookie Betts to reach for an infield single.

Gavin Lux and Betts Both he hit sacrifice flies to give the Dodgers a 7-6 advantage in the top eight. Buehler then made the save.

Cole ultimately threw 6 ⅔ innings. He submitted in five rounds. None of them were earned.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via X. All tweets can be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless otherwise specified.