Nedeljkovic steps up for win in late start vs. Rangers, makes case for more playing time

NEW YORK -- Monday was supposed to be a day off for Alex Nedeljkovic. 

After making the previous four consecutive starts in goal for the Penguins, Nedeljkovic was scheduled to be the backup for the Penguins' matchup with the Rangers here at Madison Square Garden. Mike Sullivan named Tristan Jarry the starter at the morning skate earlier that day, and Jarry took the bulk of the workload. But after the illness floating around the Penguins' locker room got ahold of Jarry as the day went on, Nedeljkovic found out he was the starter when the team returned to the rink that evening.

Nedeljkovic's surprise start paid off, backstopping the Penguins to a 5-2 win over the league-leading Rangers with a 28-save performance.

"It's huge. We knew it was going to be a tough test, even if we were 100%," Nedeljkovic said. "That's a really good hockey team over there. They had a lot to play for tonight. ... I mean, so do we, though. We're still fighting for points and the guys battled great."

The Penguins definitely weren't 100% healthy. In addition to Jarry's illness, John Ludvig was a late scratch with illness, forcing Ryan Shea to get into the lineup in his place. Other players were afflicted by the bug but managed to fight through it, with Drew O'Connor seemingly hit the hardest. O'Connor was sick and couldn't make it to the Penguins' bench until after the anthems, and had his ice time limited as a result, but managed to make it though. Bryan Rust noted that there were "a lot of guys battling," saying that O'Connor in particular "gutted it out." Evgeni Malkin lauded O'Connor's resilience too, calling him a "warrior."

One probably wouldn't be aware of the circumstances, given the way the Penguins showed up. They had a two-goal lead after the first period courtesy of tallies from Crosby and Rust that got past Igor Shesterkin. They held in there through a slow start to the middle frame, but picked up momentum and entered the second intermission holding their same 2-0 lead. Emil Bemstrom, another apparent late addition to the lineup after anticipated fourth-line center Sam Poulin was loaned to the AHL prior to the game, extended the Penguins' lead in the third period on a breakaway. Kaapo Kappo and Jack Roslovic capitalized to get the Rangers on the board, and then Rust and Crosby netted empty-net goals to put the game away. The latter was Crosby's 82nd point of the season and clinched his 19th consecutive point-per-game season, tying Wayne Gretzky for the record.

The Penguins tightened up defensively in front of Nedeljkovic. They were a perfect three-for-three on the penalty kill. They allowed only three high-danger shots on goal at five-on-five the whole game (and recorded six of their own), and just two high-danger shots on goal against on the penalty kill. They were only credited with a single giveaway all game and blocked 17 shots, with Rust and Marcus Pettersson leading the way with four each.

"I think the PK was huge," Letang told me of the team's play in front of Nedeljkovic. "I think as a defense corps we simplified things and we gave our forwards a chance to get in on the on the offense, and they played well."

And when Nedeljkovic was tested, he stood tall.