Video: Nedeljkovic EXPLODES At Being Pulled From Game
Emotions were riding high in Pittsburgh Thursday night, as Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljokovic was absolutely livid about being pulled less than eight minutes into the second period after surrendered his third goal of the game.
He exploded, cracking his stick over the net, then rifling it into the corner before skating off and slamming the gate.
Nedeljkovic is RATTLED about getting yanked from the net pic.twitter.com/lV3b8JxLIS
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) February 28, 2025
He was then "barking down the bench", screaming at the coaches about their decision.
Nedeljkovic had allowed three goals on 15 shots to that point, for an .800 save percentage on the game, and the Penguins trailed 3-0.
The goalie's meltdown seemed to inspire the Penguins, who scored three goals to tie the game before the end of the period.
But the fireworks didn't stop there. Mere minutes after Nedeljkovic's firey exit, Flyers coach John Tortorella exploded as well after the Pens' Boko Imama received only a minor penalty for what appeared to be (but actually wasn't) a hit to the head on Garnet Hathaway.
Torts almost popped a blood vessel after Boko Imama was only assessed a minor for interference for this hit on Garnet Hathaway
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) February 28, 2025
pic.twitter.com/UnQsNTvBK6
Afterwards, Torts called it "one of the dirtiest hits I've seen in quite a while."
The Flyers wound up blowing the lead, and lost in overtime, 5-4.
After the game, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan gave credit to Nedeljkovic for inciting the team on to victory.
“I have no problem with Ned’s reaction,” he said. “For me, that’s just an indication of how invested he is. He cares. He’s competitive. He wants to win. That’s raw emotion. Quite honestly, I thought he inspired the group to want to compete for him.”
