The Penguins were originally supposed to play a preseason contest in Detroit on Saturday, but that game got rescheduled for Monday due to travel issues. The team made it safe and sound this time around, and returned to Pittsburgh with a 5-1 win.
Alex Nedeljkovic had been scheduled to play the entire game, but left with just under eight minutes to go in the first period after getting hurt while making a save.
"Ned's being evaluated for a lower-body injury, and that's all I have for you at this point,” Head Coach Mike Sullivan said. “Our medical team will look at him tomorrow, and then we'll have more definitive answers."
Joel Blomqvist took over between the pipes, making 22 saves on 23 shots against a Detroit lineup headlined by their star players, including Dylan Larkin, Patrick Kane and Lucas Raymond. “Honestly, I didn't have that much time to think too much,” Blomqvist admitted with a smile.
“It’s just, go and do your thing and go out there and compete. I don't think you can really do that much about their lineup. So, I think it's just try to focus on your own game and go from there. Just work hard and match them.”
Sullivan loved what he saw from the 22-year-old netminder, calling Blomqvist’s play “terrific,” and saying he was particularly strong against Detroit’s power play.
“We were on a penalty kill exhibition for a lot of the second period, and I thought he was a big part of it. We only gave up one goal,” Sullivan said. “Given the amount of opportunities they got, I thought the kill did a really good job. He was a big part of it, and made some big saves.”
Blomqivst had a bit of a tough start to his preseason in the opener at Buffalo back on Sep. 21, going up against another lineup loaded with NHL talent. Blomqvist held his own in that first period, but the Sabres swarmed the Penguins in the second, ending his night early.
Sullivan loved the way Blomqvist responded after that learning experience, as he stopped all 11 shots faced in his next outing on Sep. 24, also against Buffalo. Now, in his third preseason appearance, Blomqvist is playing with confidence. Blomqvist said he feels like his game is getting better and better as he adjusts to the pace of play at the NHL level.
“He’s responded really well,” Sullivan said. “The first game maybe wasn't his best in Buffalo. That was a tough game against a real good lineup that particular night. But ever since then, I think he's responded extremely well and we'll see where it goes from here. But we're real encouraged with his response.”
At the beginning of Training Camp presented by UPMC, Sullivan spoke about the goalie depth that Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas has worked to build since taking over in June of 2023.
“I think that was one of Kyle's priorities coming in here, was trying to solidify that spot for us so that we constantly have a push from within, internally, for our guys,” Sullivan said. “Depending on the nature of how the season goes, or how he chooses to manipulate our roster, to have depth at that position is really important.”
Regardless of what happens with Nedeljkovic, having a talented young player like Blomqvist in the mix is exciting for the Penguins. The 2020 second-round pick was named an AHL All-Star with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in his first season in North America, and Sullivan said the sky is the limit for the tall, technically sound goaltender.
“My goal was to push for a spot in the team. I think that's the only goal you should have. It's fun to compete here,” Blomqvist said.
SCORING SUMMARY AND LINES
Drew O’Connor got Pittsburgh on the board first with a power-play goal. He then set up Lars Eller, wearing an A in this game, for a shorthanded goal. Noel Acciari, wearing the other A, tallied twice. Vasily Ponomarev rounded out the scoring with an empty-netter. Here’s the lineup the Penguins used:
O’Connor-Eller-Puustinen
Ponomarev-Broz-Bemstrom
McGroarty-Acciari-Puljujarvi
Avery Hayes-Huntington-Andonovski
Graves-St. Ivany
Shea-Aho
Ludvig-Hollowell
