Penguins goalies Tristan Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic pals between pipes

When commenting on Tristan Jarry’s play over two periods and overtime of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Jan. 11 loss to Vancouver, fellow goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic offered big praise for his teammate.

That night, Nedeljkovic started in net but was replaced at the start of the second period by Jarry after allowing three goals in the first. Jarry went on to make 19 saves on 20 shots in relief.

Sidney Crosby scored two goals, including the equalizer with 28.2 seconds left in regulation, before the Penguins ultimately fell in overtime, 4-3.

“Things weren’t going well for me,” Nedeljkovic said. “(Jarry) came in, and honestly, he was probably, next to (Crosby), the biggest reason why we were able to get a point out of that game. The way he came out in the second period, those first five minutes — (Vancouver) had a lot of Grade A chances.

“They were buzzing and humming, trying to put the game away right there. He had a couple big saves to keep us in it, and eventually he got us to calm down.”

This past offseason, Jarry signed a five-year contract worth $5.375 million annually that entrenched him as the Penguins’ starting goaltender for the foreseeable future.

Nedeljkovic, brought in by general manager Kyle Dubas last summer on a one-year, $1.5 million deal, earned the club’s backup goalie role coming out of preseason camp.

On the season, Jarry has started 28 of the Penguins’ 42 games, going 12-12-4 with a 2.48 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.

Nedeljkovic, who spent several weeks on injured reserve in October and November with an undisclosed ailment, is 8-3-2 record with a 2.66 goals-against-average and save percentage of .916 in 15 games (13 starts).

“They’re bringing out the best in each other, and we feel like we have 1 and 1A,” said coach Mike Sullivan. “They’ve both played extremely well and have been deserving of being in the net. It makes for a difficult coaching decision every night, but that’s a good challenge to have.”

After the club’s loss to Vancouver, Jarry discussed splitting time in the net with Nedeljkovic.

“I think he’s been playing great,” Jarry said. “And obviously, he’s a great goaltender. So whoever’s playing well I think should be playing. I think that’s just the way it’s been going. I think he’s done a great job, and I’m just there to support him. Whether he’s supporting me or I’m supporting him, I think we have a great relationship, and we’re pushing each other. I think that that helps us be at our best.”

Naturally, Jarry and Nedeljkovic want to see as much playing time as possible.

But transcending their own individual ambition is a friendship that has allowed the netminders to enjoy a harmonious relationship on and off the ice.

“We’re both competitive guys, we both want to win, but you can take it too far and then kind of be a (jerk) and not talk to a guy, but it just makes it awkward and not friendly,” Nedeljkovic said. “That’s not what you want, and that’s not being a good teammate either. … I want (Jarry) to do well, just as he wants me to do well. That’s how we get better, quite honestly.

“You’re not going to do yourself any favors hoping that he does bad or thinking negatively, and then negative thoughts start creeping into your head about yourself inadvertently. It’s just being a good teammate. It’s easy to do. He’s a good guy off the ice, so it just makes it that much easier.”

There’s always a chance that a gap exists between how each player truly feels about their playing time and overall situation compared to what gets said publicly.

But Sullivan and his staff have seen Jarry and Nedeljkovic balance their competitive drives with a desire to support one another.

“I think they have a great relationship,” Sullivan said. “I think that’s been a really important aspect of the goaltending tandem this year. I think they sincerely like one another and root for one another. I think they push one another to be at their best. Both of those guys have played well for us throughout the course of the year.

“We have a lot of confidence in both of them, regardless of who’s in the net each and every night. That’s a great relationship to have when these guys sincerely root for one another.”

Note: Forward Radim Zohorna was placed on waivers by the Penguins on Tuesday afternoon. In 31 games at the NHL level this year, he has four goals and three assists. After being a healthy scratch for six straight games dating to Dec. 31, Zohorna re-entered the Penguins lineup Jan. 13 and 15, skating as left wing on the third line with Lars Eller and Valtteri Puustinen. If Zohorna clears waivers at 2 p.m. Wednesday, he can be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. He carries a cap hit of $775,000.