Penguins
Penguins Report Card: Nedeljkovic Grabs Net, Grabs the Team, Too

BUFFALO — For just the third time since the NHL holiday un-freeze began on Dec. 28, a span of 11 games, the Pittsburgh Penguins won. They didn’t boot a third-period lead, they didn’t fumble away big power plays, they got big-time goaltending from Alex Nedeljkovic, and perhaps most importantly, the Penguins converted offensive chances.
The Penguins popped a trio of power-play goals, got no less than a half dozen sparkling saves with a fighting edge from Nedeljkovic, and beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 at Key Bank Center.
Of course, the biggest story in the game was Nedeljkovic’s goalie goal.
Read More:Â GOALIE GOAL! Nedeljkovic Shoots and Scores, Makes NHL History
Don’t underestimate the importance of Nedeljkovic’s monster game in the wake of the team waiving Tristan Jarry. Nedeljovic stabilized the situation if not energized the team.
The boys reaction to his goal spoke volumes about how they feel about him, too.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby took rookie defenseman Owen Pickering for a haircut at his favorite little spot in Lawrenceville before the team shoved off for a season-defining seven-game road trip beginning in Buffalo. However, the Penguins’ luck did not change with new trims as they trailed 1-0 after the first period despite a lopsided scoring chance advantage (10-5), according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Frustration has recently sidetracked the Penguins, but not on Friday. They didn’t play a clean game, and their defensive zone coverage had more problems than a used Saab (that’s usually a lot), but Nedeljkovic bailed them out time and again. He made 40 saves.
“I thought power play and Ned essentially made the difference in the game. So, I know we’re capable of another level five-on-five,” said coach Mike Sullivan. “We’ve played a better game 5v5 most recently. And I think we’ve got to try to tighten up there.”
Perhaps Pickering’s new haircut brought some good luck after all. The Penguins netted three goals in the second period to essentially put the game away, especially with a goalie making all of the saves.
Also noticeably impactful was Cody Glass, who sprung Anthony Beauvillier on a breakaway goal with a gorgeous stretch pass from the D-zone to the offensive blue line, then scored a power-play goal later in the second period.
“I went to pick up the puck, and as soon as I picked my head up, I saw him,” Glass replied to Pittsburgh Hockey Now. “He was flying. I tried my best to get it over one of the (Buffalo defender’s) sticks. It landed perfectly, good timing. I felt like Erik Karlsson back there.”
Great quote, eh?
Glass also trailed his roomie Philip Tomasino toward the end of a second-period power play. Tomasino got behind the penalty kill and slipped a perfect pass to Glass for a snapped one-timer and a 3-1 lead.
It may have been Glass’s best game as a Penguin, as he also tallied a goal and an assist. Coach Mike Sullivan shuffled him around the lineup Friday, and he added to every line.
“It could have been (his best game). I thought Cody played well. We moved them him all around the lineup,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “But we thought he played pretty well. He helped us on the penalty kill played and on one of the power plays. We moved in the middle with (Blake Lizotte) and (Noel Acciari) and then I moved him around depending on D-zone face-offs and things of that nature. When he chips in offensively for us, it’s huge.”
Penguins Report Card
Team: B
The land of opposites. They peppered Tampa Bay and Seattle with shots, especially in the first period, but lost when the other team converted more (and better) chances.
On Friday, the Penguins scored three goals on 12 shots and then four on 16. They snapped one-timers, converted breakaways, and didn’t waste pucks or possessions. Maybe they learned. Maybe it was just a good night.
Defensively, the patchwork Penguins blue line did enough to stay between the puck and Nedelkovic. Oh, they had some real breakdowns, especially on special teams, but the team didn’t sulk or let the momentum get too far away. And…
Alex Nedeljkovic: A+Â
A goal and an assist. After the game, he was basking in it. He knew just about every goalie goal scored and recounted them after the game, from Marty Turco to Ron Hextall, and on … and on he went. He’s now part of the exclusive club.
When the Penguins suffered breakdowns, such as giving up a shorthanded two-on-one and a shortie breakaway, Nedeljkovic turned them away. Nedeljkovic made a handful of fighting saves on high-danger scoring chances in the second period, including commanding the position above the top of the crease to take away Tage Thompson’s rip from the slot.
He didn’t “steal” a point, but if the Penguins got the 10-ply goaltending they’ve been getting, the game could have been 4-1 Buffalo with a dispirited Penguins bench.
After the team waived goalie Jarry on Tuesday for failing to make the big saves and sometimes failing to make the easy saves, too, this was the game they needed from their new frontline goalie.
Cody Glass: A+
Filthy wheel. Glass skated harder and faster than any game this season. He launched Beauvillier’s breakaway with a defensive play, a full-speed carousel around the net, and a 100-foot pass on the tape.
Later in the second period, he put his head down and went after a loose puck in the defensive zone. He had it in a couple of strides but didn’t let up–a few swings of his hips and shoulders, and he left the Buffalo forwards behind. He bolted into the offensive zone at full speed with only one defenseman left. Nothing became of the play, but it showed his speed.
He was a difference-maker.
Evgeni Malkin: B
A couple of mistakes dropped Malkin’s grade. His four-minute high-sticking penalty in the first period was the primary whoops. Malkin’s gallop was a sight we haven’t really been treated to this season. He dominated the puck and was strong in the defensive zone, too. As Mike Lange would have said, he was puttin’ on the ritz.
By request several readers asked that I grade the third line, specifically Tomasino.
O’Connor-Hayes-Tomasino:Â
The line gets a B+. I liked Hayes’s and O’Connor’s games, specifically. They were aggressive in the first period. O’Connor brought the white skates to play and jumped on every loose puck, dragging it to the offensive zone or dirty areas. Hayes was playing with intent to create offense, so they defended well and created some pressure.
However, they only got two shots on net and allowed just one. They allowed three scoring chances, however. There was plenty of good, but Tomasino needed to join the fray a bit more actively. On the flip side, Tomasino was clearly playing a cautious F3 role, a couple of times hanging with the defensemen near the blue line when puck possession was tenuous.
It worked. Tomasino picked his spot for offense on the power play, and the Glass goal in the second period was the backbreaker.
With some irony, perhaps the players who didn’t play as well as they normally do were Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson. Each had bad turnovers that led to dangerous Buffalo chances.