Detroit — When goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was sent down to Grand Rapids in January there were no guarantees Nedeljkovic would ever play another game with the Wings.
But this being professional sports, one player’s injury is another’s opportunity and that’s what happened to Nedeljkovic.
With Ville Husso (lower-body) injured and unavailable, and Magnus Hellberg unable to provide consistency in net, Nedeljkovic will get the start Saturday in Philadelphia.
Nedeljkovic was an emergency recall Thursday with Husso hurting. But after Hellberg allowed three goals on 12 shots, Nedeljkovic played the final 24 minutes (allowed one goal on nine shots) and will now have a chance to build upon the appearance.
More:‘Go play the game right’: Wings squander early 2-0 lead in loss to Blues
“It’s unfortunate Huss(o) is dealing with something and you never want to see someone get hurt,” Nedeljkovic said. “But that’s the world we live in right now and I’m just thankful for another opportunity.”
Nedeljkovic was 13-9-3 with the Griffins, with a 2.71 goals-against average and .912 save percentage, statistically turning around his season after a rough stretch with the Wings. Nedeljkovic was 2-5-2 with the Wings, with a 4.01 GAA and .880 SVS, leading the Wings to claim Hellberg off waivers and Hellberg eventually claiming the backup job to Husso.
In Grand Rapids, Nedeljkovic was able to get the playing time he wasn’t getting with the Wings.
“I feel good, especially the last two or three weeks, I honestly felt like I’ve gotten back to what has worked for me in the past and what has made me successful,” Nedeljkovic said. “Just playing and getting back into a rhythm, it was a little bit of confidence too, and playing well and getting some wins helps feeling good about my game.
“I’m not dwelling on the negatives and showing up the next day and getting ready to do it all over again.”
Nedeljkovic is an unrestricted free agent this summer and is likely playing for a new contract next season. That alone makes these final 11 games extremely meaningful and important. But in the bigger picture, Nedeljkovic wants to help the Wings salvage something out of these final three weeks.
“We’re still mathematically in the playoff hunt,” Nedeljkovic said. “But you’re always playing for something. It doesn’t matter if it’s Game 82 and you’re out, or no matter what it is. It doesn’t have to be Game 7 (of the playoffs) for it to mean something.”
Lalonde is excited about Nedeljkovic getting another opportunity in the NHL. Lalonde received positive reports from Griffins coach Ben Simon, who saw Nedeljkovic stabilize a position that was troublesome all season.
“Giving them chances (to win),” Lalonde said. “It’s the same thing we expect from him here. Consistency. He’ll be in net (Saturday). I love the fact he got the last (24) minutes (in net Thursday).”
Lalonde feels the opportunity Nedeljkovic received in Grand Rapids in terms of playing regularly and rebuilding the goaltender’s confidence will prove beneficial.
“It’s the nature of the position,” Lalonde said. “Sometimes you (lose) confidence, things don’t go your way and it piles up on you. Getting into a rhythm and playing a lot in Grand Rapids hopefully will benefit him and he’ll give us a chance to win.”
Ice chips
Filip Zadina (lower-body) will be unavailable Saturday, after not practicing Friday. Lalonde said this could be something that stems from Zadina’s injury earlier this season that kept Zadina out for two months. The Wings will reassess early next week.
Adam Erne, who missed the last two games with an injury, practiced Friday and will basically replace Zadina in the lineup.
…Both defensemen Simon Edvinsson and Gustav Lindstrom practiced Friday, and Lalonde wouldn’t rule out playing both defensemen Saturday, and going with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
…After a good game Thursday, forward Joe Veleno will start on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond against the Flyers.
“He looked ready to play, had two backchecks early on that got our bench excited,” Lalonde said. “He had a little jump in his game.”
…After a frustrating game against the Blues, Lalonde was pleased with the level of energy the Wings practiced with Friday.
“I give these guys a lot of credit, you guys have watched practice, and we’re in the midst of three games in four days now, and four games in (six days), just a brutal stretch,” Lalonde said. “But our guys went out and worked and it’s a credit to them, credit to our group. We’ve taken practice seriously.”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan
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Red Wings at Flyers
▶ Faceoff: 1 p.m. Saturday, Wells Fargo Arena, Philadelphia.
▶ TV/radio: BSD/97.1 FM
▶ Outlook: The Flyers (27-32-12) have won two consecutive games are 4-4-2 over their last 10 games…They’ve defeated the Wings in the previous two games between the teams this season…G Carter Hart (20-21-10, 2.96 GAA) and RW Travis Konecny (27 goals, 54 points) lead a rebuilding lineup.