Ned Back in Net
There have been many positives about this historic start to the season for the Carolina Hurricanes, but one that might be the biggest is the emergence of Alex Nedeljkovic.
Nedeljkovic is expected to get the start Thursday night and he deserves it. He has been exceptional since his introduction into the lineup following the Petr Mrazek injury. He posts a record of 6-2-1 with an excellent .929 save percentage, 2.08 save percentage, and a shutout as well.
While James Reimer has been decent in Mrazek’s absence, Ned has been sparkling. There is a serious decision to be made once Mrazek is re-inserted into the lineup. Reimer’s experience helps and there could be questions about whether Ned can take on a regular backup workload consistently, but I think you need to trust the kid and give the hot hand the games he deserves.
Ned = Good at hockey pic.twitter.com/w87f48ymxW
— Bally Sports: Canes (@CanesOnBally) March 14, 2021
The team has looked confident in front of the young netminder and it’s been Reimer who has been the more shaky of the two as of late.
The Canes will ride Ned again tonight and I expect him to be excellent like he has all year.