Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic scheduled to start against Utah Hockey Club

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is scheduled to start Saturday’s home game against the Utah Hockey Club at PPG Paints Arena.

Coach Mike Sullivan announced Nedeljkovic’s status approximately two hours before the opening faceoff.

In 10 games this season, Nedeljkovic has a 3-3-3 record, a 3.17 goals against average and an .886 save percentage.

Notes:

• Penguins forward Kevin Hayes was activated from injured reserve Saturday evening. Sullivan labeled him as a “game-time decision.” An undisclosed injury has sidelined Hayes for the past eight games.

Before his injury, Hayes had appeared in 14 games and scored four points (three goals, one assist) while averaging 9:27 of ice time per contest.

• In a corresponding transaction, rookie forward Vasily Ponomarev was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. Initially recalled Nov. 14, Ponomarev had primarily been deployed on the fourth line. In three NHL games, he had no points on four shots while clocking an average of 9:12 of ice time per contest.

“He did some good things,” Sullivan said of Ponomarev. “It was a good experience for him to get those games. He can get a little bit stronger so he’s stiffer on pucks in the puck battles. Obviously, one the biggest challenges for a young player is just how fast things happen. Part of that learning process is just getting some experience so that you can process the game quickly so you can recognize where potential threats are when you’re on the defensive side and where opportunities are when you’re on the offensive side. That’s just part of the process that (Ponomarev) is going through.”

• Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk is available for Saturday’s lineup, according to Sullivan. During a 4-1 home loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, Grzelcyk missed a handful of shifts during the second period after blocking a shot with his left foot. He completed the game but was hobbling a bit following the contest.

• Penguins forward Sidney Crosby has scored 599 career goals.

• This is the first meeting ever between the Penguins and Utah Hockey Club.

Utah is primarily composed of former players, coaches and other assets from the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes franchise but, per the NHL’s decision, the history of the Coyotes franchise (which includes the original Winnipeg Jets franchise) did not transfer to Utah.

• The Utah Hockey Club is scheduled to start goaltender Karel Vejmelka. In eight games this season, Vejmelka has a 1-5-0 record, a 2.37 goals against average and a .922 save percentage.

Vejmelka is one of four right-catching goaltenders (i.e. silly siders) who have played a game in the NHL this season (compared to 72 left-catching goaltenders).

The only other right-catching goaltender the Penguins have played this season is Charlie Lindgren of the Washington Capitals. He stopped 28 of 31 shots in a 4-2 home loss to the Penguins on Nov. 8.