Pittsburgh Review

After trailing 3-0 early in the second period against the Flyers at PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan decided to pull goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to shift the game's momentum. Nedeljkovic's emotional reaction was evident as he broke his stick over the crossbar and expressed his frustration. Sullivan noted, "For me, that's just an indication of how invested he is. He cares. He's competitive."

The Penguins rallied to win 5-4 in overtime with Evgeni Malkin scoring in extra time, contributing to a four-point night for the veteran forward. Reflecting on Nedeljkovic's response, Malkin said, “Ned’s reaction, we understand. We're not happy, too,” and added humorously that he was glad not to break his own stick as he scored two goals.

Despite a strong start by the Flyers and key saves from Nedeljkovic, they took a 2-0 lead before Matvei Michkov extended it to 3-0. Sullivan explained that pulling Nedeljkovic was more about changing momentum than performance: "You get a certain feeling behind the bench... I think Ned had a lot to do with it."

Joel Blomqvist stepped in as relief goaltender and saw Phil Tomasino score for Pittsburgh shortly after entering the game. Tomasino remarked on his recent form: “I’ve been getting some good looks and capitalizing on that.” Erik Karlsson followed up with another goal for Pittsburgh.

Boko Imama received a penalty for interference but managed to create energy on ice according to Ryan Graves: “He plays with heart and soul.” After serving his penalty, Imama sparked further opportunities leading to Karlsson's second goal of the night.

Malkin continued his impressive post-injury return by scoring crucial goals including the overtime winner. Sullivan praised him saying, “Geno puts a lot of pressure on himself... A night like tonight, he was a big part of the offense.”

Sullivan also commended Blomqvist's performance as an important step forward for the rookie goaltender while emphasizing team defense improvements needed ahead of upcoming games against Boston and Toronto.