Alex Nedeljkovic’s numbers after two preseason appearances aren’t great, but there’s no concern he won’t be at his best when it counts.
Nedeljkovic gave up four goals on 23 shots as the Detroit Red Wings lost, 5-1, Sunday afternoon to the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena, their first loss in four exhibition games.
Nedeljkovic, brought in via trade in the offseason, has allowed six goals on 42 shots through 67:07 of ice time. On Sunday, Jeff Carter and Danton Heinen fired shots that went in off Nedeljkovic, and Kris Letang came out of the penalty box, up the middle, and ripped a shot for a goal.
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“I like Ned, I think he’s going to be real good for us,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “He works his tail off, he pays attention to detail in practice. I think he had some squeak through him that he’d like to have back, but this is what preseason is for. I certainly don’t pass a whole lot of judgment on anybody in this short a period of time. He’s played two halves. I’m fully confident he’s going to give us really good goaltending through the season.”
Nedeljkovic was a finalist for the Calder Trophy (given to the league’s top rookie) last season; he posted a 1.90 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in 23 games with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. He signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Wings immediately after the trade.
The Wings host the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday at Little Caesars Arena. Blashill said Tyler Bertuzzi won’t be available; Bertuzzi hasn’t played since January, though Blashill has said he has been cleared. Michael Rasmussen was supposed to play Sunday but was sidelined by what Blashill described as a “a little tweak. I don’t think it’s anything long term.”
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Jonatan Berggren, who suffered an upper-body injury during the prospects tournament in Traverse City last month, made his first appearance, recording one shot on net in just under 14 minutes of play. There are high hopes for the 2018 second-round pick out of Sweden, who is beginning his North American career.
“It was good to get Berggie in,” Blashill said. “He’s got a lot of ability. It’ll be an adjustment on the small sheet to learn how to get to the inside, but it was good to get hm in and hopefully we’ll get him in some more.”
There’s only so much to read into exhibition games because neither team, especially the visiting one, fields a lineup heavy on NHL regulars. Even so, the Wings didn’t play very well, lacking in execution and in the quality of shots they directed at Tristan Jarry, the Penguins’ top goalie. Pius Suter scored Detroit’s goal, and Bobby Ryan solidified his case for turning a tryout into a contract with a terrific scoring chance that led to Jarry’s best save of the game.
“Bobby has played hard,” Blashill said. “He’s a good offensive player and can create chances. He’s done a good job so far.”
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.