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PITTSBURGH -- Tristan Jarry typically speaks in a monotone, symbolic of a goaltender who when he's at his best takes a boring, almost zen-like approach to his job.
It was telling earlier this week, however, when the two-time All-Star for the Pittsburgh Penguins took exception when asked if he was worried he has become injury prone after three months of health issues and erratic play.
Jarry's terse reply -- that he has been durable most of his four full seasons in the NHL -- was a little out of character. It also, however, revealed an edge that lies just underneath the surface.
It's an edge the Penguins need down the stretch. It's one he provided in a 2-0 victory over Nashville on Thursday night that preserved Pittsburgh's tenuous grasp on the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Steady at the start and stoic at the finish, Jarry turned aside all 27 shots he faced while posting his 13th career shutout as the Penguins remained one point in front of Florida for the final playoff berth in the East. Pittsburgh has seven games remaining. The Panthers have six.
Jarry pointed to a week on the bench facilitated by a minor lower-body injury and solid play by backup Case DeSmith as a chance to hit the reset button and focus on his craft.
"Any time you can get away from it a little bit, it takes a little stress off you and you're able to just prepare your game and kind of work on the things you need to in practice," Jarry said.
Jarry certainly looked prepared in his 200th NHL appearance while outdueling Nashville's Jusse Saros. Saros was spectacular at times while making 43 saves. It just wasn't enough for the injury-depleted Predators to bookend a stirring upset over NHL-leading Boston on Tuesday.
"It was a tough night for us," Nashville coach John Hynes said. "Credit Pittsburgh, they put pressure on us. … We didn't test Jarry a lot, but we did get some good looks and he made some big saves for them."
Jason Zucker and Jake Guentzel scored goals.