Detroit Red Wings: Alex Nedeljkovic steady as a rock in New York

The Detroit Red Wings continue their stellar play despite being short-handed, playing on back-to-back afternoons, and having to travel.

Detroit dominated the state of New York over the weekend. The Red Wings beat the physical New York Islanders Saturday afternoon to the tune of 3-0. Ville Husso continued his hot streak in goal, elevating his numbers to a spectacular 0.941 save percentage 1.86 goals-against average to go with his 5-1-1 record that includes a pair of shutouts.

It was Alex Nedeljkovic getting the call on the second of the back-to-back, which doesn’t always end up well for teams. Nedeljkovic, on a personal level, needed a big game with Husso quickly emerging as the team’s top netminder. Nedeljkovic delivered in New York against the Rangers. Things didn’t look too promising early on for the Red Wings as they fell behind 2-0 in the contest.

Despite the plethora of injuries to the Red Wings, Derek Lalonde’s team found a way to battle back and eventually win the contest 3-2 in overtime thanks to a beautiful goal by Dominik Kubalik. Veteran winger David Perron found Kubalik with a tremendous pass alone on the four-on-three power play. Kubalik did what he’s done often to begin his tenure with the Red Wings, finished.

The 26-year-old, Nedeljkovic, improves his less-than-desirable season numbers to 0.880 save percentage, 4.34 goals against average. Nedeljkovic made 27 saves, a few key saves at critical times to prevent Detroit from falling behind three goals, and then late in the contest when it was 2-2 to force overtime.

If Nedeljkovic can start stringing together starts similar to how he performed in New York, with the way Husso is playing, Detroit will become a tough out every night.

Alex Nedeljkovic is steady as a rock as the Detroit Red Wings remain hot in New York.

Don’t look now, but the Detroit Red Wings are 3-0 after that embarrassing 8-3 loss in Buffalo last week.

As the saying goes, everything general manager Steve Yzerman touches turns into gold. Yzerman’s offseason additions are proving to be significant early on in the 2022-23 season. Not only is Husso playing at a Vezina Trophy level, but Kubalik and Perron also continue to be key offensive additions helping captain Dylan Larkin pace the offense. Kubalik has totaled 15 points, including six goals over Detroit’s first 12 games. Perron has recorded five goals and eight points, while Larkin currently sits with six goals and 15 points.

Yzerman also added a pair of veteran defenders. Ben Chiarot has been a perfect first pairing partner for Moritz Seider, and Olli Maatta is somewhat of an unsung hero that not many people talk about. Maatta is playing exceptionally well paired with Filip Hronek. Maatta, not known for his offensive abilities, has recorded a pair of goals and six points while skating to a plus-five rating. Last season with the Los Angeles Kings, Maatta titled eight points in 66 games.

The Red Wings now hold a 7-3-2 record on the season, which is pretty remarkable since they are without Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, Robby Fabbri, Oskar Sundqvist, and Filip Zadina. Detroit returns home to take on the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday evening. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm Est.