For the Penguins, struggles with the Hurricanes are nothing new

Pittsburgh Penguins backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic enjoyed his time as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Especially because his best season as an NHLer came during his employment in the Piedmont.

As a rookie in 2020-21, Nedeljkovic was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie team after posting a 15-5-3 record in 23 games along with a 1.90 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and three shutouts.

Those strong figures reflected a unique and almost exclusive style of man-on-man defense the Hurricanes have employed since Rod Brind’Amour took over as coach in 2018.

“You always kind of knew where guys were and what was going to happen,” Nedeljkovic said after practice Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena. “If something (breaks down), it usually just ended up turning into a one-on-one with me and the (attacking opponent). I probably wasn’t going to get beat backdoor (on an odd-man rush) because of just how we played.

“It was nice. You know what was going on. You knew where everybody was. There was a lot of accountability with that.”

That approach has accounted for the Hurricanes largely being better than the Penguins in recent years.

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Entering Thursday’s game between the two Metropolitan Division foes at PPG Paints Arena, the Hurricanes have a five-game winning streak against the Penguins. Beyond that, the Penguins have won only three out 13 games (3-6-4) against the Hurricanes since Brind’Amour was installed as head coach.

Most of the scores haven’t been all that lopsided, however. As evidenced by the four overtime or shootout losses that are part of that 13-game stretch, many of these contests have been decided by a single goal.

“We play them a lot,” Penguins forward Rickard Rakell said. “We know we haven’t beaten them in a while. But I feel like it’s always been close games against them. It’s that little extra push or make sure that bounces go our way to make sure we can get the win.”

This approach the Hurricanes have adopted under Brind’Amour has led to plenty of wins, resulting in the greatest stretch of regular-season success in the history of the franchise, including its days as the Hartford Whalers.

Having won three consecutive division titles — including the Central Division in 2020-21 during the NHL’s temporary pandemic-altered alignment — the Hurricanes are beating a lot of teams, not just the Penguins with their aggressive defensive approach.

How exclusive is their style of man-on-man defense?

“They’re one of the few teams that still play that type of style, that man-on-man,” Nedeljkovic said. “A lot of teams are playing — not passive — but almost zone coverage defense, breaking down into four quadrants. They’re man-on-man anywhere in the (defensive) zone. It doesn’t matter if you’re a defenseman, if your guy goes to the point, you’re going to the point. It’s different. It’s a lot of hard work.

“(Brind’Amour) demands a lot out of guys. But it’s great. He backs it up, too. He doesn’t just speak these things. He’s doing it. He’s in the gym before you get there. He’s working out, he’s working hard. He demands a lot out of guys but also, he shows it himself. He demands a lot out of himself as a coach.”

The Penguins’ coach preaches patience with the Hurricanes.

“When you play a team like Carolina, that’s a pretty stingy defensive team, an element of patience with your puck possession and the offense that you’re trying to create, I think is really important,” Mike Sullivan said. “If you try to force plays that aren’t there because you go a handful of shifts and you don’t get anything, that’s when you leave yourself vulnerable to a counter-attack opportunity. Patience and discipline of patience, I think is a really important aspect of having success against a team like Carolina.”

The Hurricanes’ success — against the Penguins, as well as overall — is no accident.

“If you don’t come prepared, you don’t come ready to work and be pushed and be pushed hard every single day, it’s probably not the spot for you,” Nedeljkovic said. “It’s just the way that (Brind’Amour) runs things, it’s the way that the culture is there. They’re a hard-working team and it shows obviously. They wear you down.

“Them being on you from the get-go and putting pucks in your end and being behind you and being physical, they’re hard to play against.”

Note: The Penguins recalled forward Vinnie Hinostroza from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Wednesday morning. He was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Tuesday in a paper transaction.