The Pittsburgh Penguins experienced perhaps their best win of the season Thursday, evening their season series with the Philadelphia Flyers in the process.
Philadelphia started hot and enjoyed a 3-0 lead midway through the game. Alex Nedeljkovic was then pulled from goal before showcasing just how upsetting a decision like that can be. Boko Imama poured gasoline onto the fire with a controversial hit. Evgeni Malkin turned back the clock to score the game-tying and game-winning goals.
It’s a victory that had a little bit of everything, and one that Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was just fine with as a birthday present.
“I have no problem with Ned’s reaction,” Sullivan said, per Josh Yohe of The Athletic. “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.”
The Penguins didn’t take Nedeljkovic’s outburst to heart but instead used it as fuel.
Story continues below advertisement
“We were all frustrated,” Philip Tomasino said postgame. “Honestly, he gave us kind of a wake-up call. We had left him hung out to try a bit. It kind of motivated our group.”
Who knows, maybe “Ned” should showcase his personality a bit more often.
More Penguins: Penguins Forward Out Indefinitely After Unexpected Surgery
Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images