Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, who has missed the start of the season because of a lower-body injury, joined the team Saturday for its four-game road trip.
Nedeljkovic was recalled from a conditioning loan with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, where he was assigned Thursday. He made his lone start Friday and made 33 saves in a 4-3 victory over Lehigh Valley.
“I felt good. It was nice,” said Nedeljkovic, who was injured in a preseason game on Sept. 30. “I saw a little bit of everything. I think it was the kind of game you’d want in this situation. Saw a lot of power-play opportunities, short-handed, half breakaways, some odd-man rushes, little bit of 6-on-5, 6-on-4. So like I said, a little bit of everything. Felt good. As the game went on, just settled in more and more, made the adjustments. It was nice. Felt like I had the last couple of days in practice.”
The Penguins visit the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, the Edmonton Oilers on Friday and the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 26. They also have goaltenders Tristan Jarry (1-1-0, 5.47 goals-against average, .836 save percentage) and Joel Blomqvist (2-2-0, 3.16, .908).
Nedeljkovic, 28, was 18-7-7 with a 2.97 GAA and .902 save percentage in 38 games (33 starts) in his first season in Pittsburgh in 2023-24.
The Carolina Hurricanes selected him in the second round of the 2014 NHL draft. He played for the Hurricanes (2016-17, 2018 to 2021) and Detroit Red Wings (2021 to 2023) before signing as a free agent with Pittsburgh in July 2023.
For his career, Nedeljkovic is 60-45-22 with a 2.96 GAA and .906 save percentage. He led the league with a 1.90 GAA and a .932 save percentage in the 2020-21 season, when he was voted to the NHL All-Rookie first-team.
He re-signed with the Penguins in June on a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.5 million.