Penguins' Alex Nedeljkovic hopes to duplicate last season's run that nearly led to playoff berth

ANAHEIM, Calif.

There is something very familiar about this.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are out of a playoff spot, but not completely doomed.

Theyre still alive for the postseason in the mediocre Eastern Conference and, although competition is brewing, the net appears to belong to Alex Nedeljkovic .

Advertisement And suddenly, the Penguins are 2-1 on a season-long seven-game trip after an impressive win against a very good Los Angeles Kings team.

Nedeljkovic nearly willed the Penguins to a playoff spot when he became the de facto No.

1 goaltender in late March last season.

The situation now is eerily similar, though the calendar is giving the goaltender a longer runway to attempt a playoff push.

I dont think theres any question that hes more than capable of pulling off something similar to what he did last season, Drew OConnor said.

And I can tell you that every guy in this room believes in Ned.

Though the 2.83 GAA and the .904 save percentage Nedeljovic produced during a 12-game stretch before the Penguins were finally eliminated from playoff contention were fairly pedestrian on the surface, he was pretty consistently solid during that stretch and produced a knack for making large saves when the game was on the line.

For what its worth, Nedeljkovic went 8-1-3 in those dozen games while playing behind a team that wasnt exactly playing airtight defensively.

Not much has changed in that regard for most of this season, though changes recently have been noteworthy.

Against the Kings, for instance, the Penguins gave up only a handful of Grade-A looks and Nedeljkovic responded in kind, allowing only one goal.

We havent done a very good job of protecting our goaltenders this season, OConnor said.

But weve been better lately.

And Ned, honestly, hes been pretty darn good whether weve been good in front of him or not.

The Penguins rally behind Nedeljkovic with a particular fervor.

This is a person whom everyone likes.

Its not often that a longtime member of the Penguins compares anyone to Marc-Andre Fleury the way Kris Letang did Wednesday.

This guy is a tremendous teammate, Letang said.

Hes not like other goalies.

Hes more of a Flower type.

Thats what he reminds me of.

Always talking, always having fun.

Just not like other goalies, who are usually quiet.

He has a different presence about him.

Advertisement Nedeljkovics personality has been a welcome one in the Penguins dressing room.

From donning a Myles Garrett (hes an Ohio native) jersey after a Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Cleveland Browns last season to jumping into the Penguins bench after becoming the first goalie in NHL history to record a goal and an assist last week at the Buffalo Sabres , this is a different kind of guy.

Many of the Penguins think the spark he provides on and off the ice might be just what they need.

Love the guy, Bryan Rust said.

You see how hard he works.

Hes always on the ice early.

Hes a battler, always trying to get better.

He takes it so hard when things dont go his way.

And I think thats a great mindset to have because it just makes him want to get better and better.

Hes a guy who thrives on the big moments.

Hes been given a real chance here, and he wants to make the most of it.

Have yourself a night, Alex Nedeljkovic pic.twitter.com/zLbZwzv01f Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 18, 2025 Its not always easy for a free-agent signing to become a lovable fixture in the Penguins dressing room.

There are Hall of Famers in that room, players with multiple Stanley Cup rings.

Usually, when thats the case, the rest of the room is pretty quiet out of deference.

Theres nothing quiet about Nedeljkovic, and his personality seems to make the Penguins want to play even harder for him.

This is a great guy, Rust continued.

Hes a shirt-off-his-back kind of guy.

You know hell do anything for his teammates, on or off the ice.

He takes ownership for himself, but he also says it like it is when hes talking about the team.

And thats good.

You know hes going to have your back no matter what.

Nedeljkovic knows he isnt a star who is going to dominate that dressing room, but he knows being himself is important.

He learned that from former Carolina teammate Jordan Martinook , a role player who was a big voice in the Hurricanes dressing room.

Advertisement Guys feed off of that, Nedeljkovic said.

Especially when its genuine.

Its hard to fake.

Guys will see right through that.

The Penguins are convinced, incidentally, there was nothing fake about their late run last season.

They nearly reached the postseason and believe they are capable of a similar run this season, even if general manager/president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas is certain to sell away some players by the March 7 trade deadline.

Nedeljkovic said he wants to channel what happened last spring.

We have to, he said.

We got hot.

We ran out of room.

Ran out of time.

When you put yourself in the position weve put ourselves in six or seven teams in front of us that we have to catch a lot of things have to go our way.

Every one of those teams has to go into a little slump.

You have to play four or five games better than them.

We have put together a stretch of good games.

We need to continue that.

Goaltending has been a major problem for the Penguins this season.

Its why Tristan Jarry is in Wilkes-Barre.

Nedeljkovic has hardly been at his best this season, and it remains to be seen whether he or Joel Blomqvist receives the bulk of the playing time down the stretch.

It figures to become a matter of whoever is playing best.

Its anybodys net, Nedeljovic said.

Whoever is going to give us the best chance to win is going to play.

The Penguins are preparing for that guy to be Nedeljkovic.

Though Blomqvists talent is undeniable, it was Nedeljkovic who nearly guided the Penguins on an improbable run to the postseason.

Theyd like to have another chance at making such a run with him as the guy.

You know, that guy gives us a chance in every game, Letang said.

Hes been pretty good all year, honestly.

And hes been really good lately.

We believe in this guy.

Advertisement That they like him as much as they do doesnt hurt, either.

If playing hard for a goaltender is a thing, you can bet the Penguins will play hard for Nedlejkovic every night.

Hes so popular in this room, OConnor said.

How could he not be? Funny guy.

And he wears it when he gives up a goal.

He wears it so much.

I think that shows what kind of a teammate he is because he just cares so, so much.

Practice tidbits Rickard Rakell returned to practice Wednesday and is expected to be in the lineup against his old team when the Penguins take on the Ducks in Anaheim on Thursday.

He missed Mondays game in Los Angeles because of a family matter that forced him to fly home to Pittsburgh.

Everyone was accounted for at practice Wednesday, and given that Mike Sullivan said Mondays win against the Kings was maybe our best game of the season, there would figure to be a good chance the same lineup will be used, with the exception of one forward leaving to make room for Rakell.

Evgeni Malkin fanned on a shot during a two-on-one drill in practice, then fell to his knees and stared at his left hand, looking to be in pain for about 10 seconds.

Malkin finished practice and seemed fine afterward.

(Photo: Justin Berl / Getty Images).

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