PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – While Pens head coach Mike Sullivan didn't discuss who he will start in net on Saturday night against Boston, there seems to be no wavering from Alex Nedeljkovic, who has started every game during this points streak.
"We're not as concerned about fatigue," Sullivan said as Nedeljkovic has started 10 consecutive games. "We think he's got a great motor. He's in great shape. We had a couple of days in between this past game, for example. It gave him an opportunity to catch his breath, so to speak."
"We don't think he's had an exorbitant workload over the course of the season, where it mounts and builds up over the course of time. So, we feel comfortable with where he's at."
The numbers might suggest some he's a little tired. After a 31-save gem against the Capitals, Nedeljkovic has allowed 12 goals in the last three games. The save percentage is .862.
"I think sometimes the numbers can be deceiving," Sullivan said. "So, I think context is real important, and that's how we try to look at it. Take it game by game. Were they good goals? Were they not good goals? What can we do better? Things of that nature."
"But what we love about Ned is just his competitiveness. If he starts a game, and he doesn't look like he's at his best, he finds a way to grab a hold of himself and just get into it. I thought (Thursday) was an example of that. I don't think he was at his best early on. But I thought as the game went on, he got better. And when the stakes were high at the end, I thought he made some big saves for us. And that's what he's doing."
A back-up all but one year of his career, the 28-year-old isn't ready to give this up.
"It's been great and a lot of fun," Nedeljkovic said. "That's what you want to do – you want to play meaningful hockey at the most important times of the year. I think we've been able to do that and at the end of the day, it's been a lot of fun."
Nedeljkovic said goalie Tristan Jarry has been supportive. He'll bounce ideas and offer suggestions. He said Jarry has been a 'positive voice' helping him stay with it. He said he's enjoyed coming to the rink and working with him. You can imagine Jarry is antsy to get back in net, but Ned said he's been a great teammate.
A first time with this opportunity, tired or not, Nedeljkovic isn't ready to step aside and it seems his coach believes he brings intangibles that have helped during this run.
"I think what he's done here down the stretch has been impressive," Sullivan said of Nedeljkovic. "He's a fierce competitor. He battles hard. He's finding ways to help us win games. I think there's something to that."
