It’s rare to see goaltenders start on back-to-back nights in the National Hockey League with the demands of the position, but it’s a challenge Alex Nedeljkovic gladly embraced with Tristan Jarry battling an illness.
"I've done it before,” he said after making 28 saves in a 5-2 win over the Rangers on Monday at Madison Square Garden. “I played a lot of games throughout my professional career in the minors, back-to-backs and three-in-fours and whatnot. So, just get some food tonight, get to Jersey, get a good sleep, and get ready to do it all over again.”
Nedeljkovic quickly regrouped and played a huge role in helping the Penguins come back from a 3-1 deficit on Tuesday at Prudential Center, keeping them in the game for two periods before they rattled off five unanswered goals in the third period to defeat the Devils 6-3.
The 27-year-old netminder, who signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh in the offseason, has now started six games in a row. He's earned at least a point in each contest against some formidable opponents to go 4-0-2 over that span, helping the Penguins get the closest they’ve been to a playoff spot in quite some time.
“I just think it provides more affirmation that what we felt about him (in the summer) is actually the case, and that he's a fierce competitor,” Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan said. “He wants the net, he wants to be in there, he wants to compete – and he battles. I think this last handful of starts, we've had his very best game, which has given us a chance to win.
“Over the course of the season, even on the nights when he hasn't been at his best, he just competes so hard. He battles, he wills his way to make saves, and we love that about him. He's just a fierce competitor, and I think the last stretch of games here is just more evidence of that.”
Back in the offseason, the Penguins targeted Nedeljkovic for a couple of reasons. Assistant coach Mike Vellucci had coached Carolina’s 2014 second-round draft pick in the Hurricanes organization, and they won a Calder Cup together. Nedeljkovic received a strong endorsement from Vellucci, as “Mike had a certain knowledge of him as a person and a player,” Sullivan said.
And even though the Ohio native had two bumpy seasons in the Red Wings organization after getting traded to Detroit – where he lives in the summers with his wife Emma and their son Grayson – in 2021, the Penguins were focused on what he’d accomplished before that. Nedeljkovic had been named a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in 2020-21 after going 15-5-3 with a 1.90 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and three shutouts.
“He’s a talented guy, and he's shown an ability to have success in this league, so I think that's the main reason why I think (Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas) went out and signed him here,” Sullivan said.
For Nedeljkovic’s part, he was excited for the chance to get his feet back underneath him and prove he can play at this level – which is exactly what he’s done.
“He's playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Bryan Rust said. “He’s made some huge saves for us, and I think anytime you can get those saves and have a guy who's got that swagger, I think it just kind of builds confidence throughout the lineup.”
Earlier in the year, Nedeljkovic said controlling the controllables, to steal a Sully-ism, has been a big part of rediscovering his game. That includes coming to the rink every day with a good attitude and a good mindset, working hard, “and trying to do the little things, quite honestly. The rest kind of follows,” Nedeljkovic said.
“Chico (goalie coach Andy Chiodo) has been awesome too. He’s been great. Ever since the summer time everything has been very positive, very constructive. We hit the ground running once training camp came, and we really haven’t looked back. It’s been great.”
Nedeljkovic has been a tremendous fit off the ice as well, adding a lot in terms of personality to the room. Nicknamed ‘Ned,’ he’s friendly and chatty, someone that the players and staff truly enjoy being around.
“With regards to Ned, I think in terms of getting to know him over the year, his character and who he is as a person, how competitive he is in goaltending sessions, how competitive he is in practice, you can't help but root for him and want him to have success,” Dubas said.
