SAN JOSE – Alex Nedeljkovic experienced one of his most unfortunate games as an NHL goalie on Thursday when a pair of mistakes led directly to the San Jose Sharks’ overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
As he arrived at the Sharks’ practice facility the following day, Nedeljkovic still wasn’t quite over the somewhat unbelievable miscues that went viral on social media and created a stir throughout the NHL.
By the weekend, though, Nedeljkovic knew he needed to move on and was at least able to make light of the mishaps. Nedeljkovic misplayed a lob shot toward the net that took a bad bounce and resulted in a third-period goal for Jack Eichel, and turned the puck over in overtime, leading to the game-winner for Reilly Smith in a 4-3 Sharks loss.
“By the time Saturday came around, we had a game. Even though you’re not playing, you’ve got to be ready for anything, so you can’t let it linger. Just got to move on,” Nedeljkovic said Monday. “I mean, the longer you let those things fester and linger around, the worse it gets. You’re not doing yourself any favors, and everybody else is moving on around you. So, nobody’s going to feel sorry for you.”
Nedeljkovic said he usually speaks to his dad after games, giving him an outlet both to vent his frustrations and receive feedback. It was no different last week.
“Whether it’s to just complain about whatever, complain about my game or a bad bounce, or just to get stuff off your chest,” Nedeljkovic said. “He’s a little biased. He’s always got my back, but at the same time, he tells me how it is, too. And when it was a tough night, he lets me know about it.”
The Sharks on Tuesday play the Carolina Hurricanes, one of Nedeljkovic’s former teams, to end a three-game homestand.
Coach Ryan Warsofsky would not confirm who his starting goalie would be, but Nedeljkovic might be a logical choice, given that he played well for the most part against Vegas. The Sharks are also coming off a 7-6 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.
“Whether it’s a good game or a bad game, you just want to play. Just want to get back in the net,” Nedeljkovic said. “You want to get back in sooner than later. When you have those kinds of tough bounces and those tough endings like you did, you just want to make up for it.
“I think the biggest thing, though, is try not to press and try not to make up for it, try not to do too much. You’re not going to change it now. So, get ready for tomorrow and just play and make some saves.”
Sharks goalie coach Thomas Speer spoke with Nedeljkovic right after Thursday’s game, and Warsofsky did the same the next day.
“We need him. It is what it is. We’ve got to compete,” Warsofsky said. “It was a long time ago in my book. We need to move forward. He knows it. I’ve known him for a long time. He’s a competitive guy. I have absolutely no concerns of him going forward.
Not only are the Sharks (0-0-2) in need of a win after blowing late leads in their first two games, but Nedeljkovic has a pretty good record against his former team, going 5-3-1 with a .918 save percentage in nine career meetings with the Hurricanes.
Reminded of this, Nedeljkovic was quick to point out his struggles in his two games against Carolina last season, as he went 0-1-1 with a .784 save percentage.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Nedeljkovic said of prior meetings with the Hurricanes. “I didn’t have a great year against them last year. None of that matters anymore.”
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HALLOWEEN PARTY
The Sharks had their team Halloween party on Sunday, with the players, their wives, and their girlfriends dressing up for the occasion.
Of note, Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini dressed as Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne from “Dumb and Dumber,” John Klingnberg and his wife went as a T-Rex and Ellie Sadler from “Jurassic Park,” and Michael Misa was dressed up as Mary, one of the witches from the movie “Hocus Pocus.”
Misa, who is living with Tyler and Cat Toffoli, hadn’t seen the movie.
“I actually had no clue what the movie was, so … I had to watch it with them, and I kind of liked it. It was good,” Misa said. “That was the plan to do the three witches from the movie. I wasn’t a big fan of the makeup. It was fine. I had to go with it.”
Looks like the #SJSharks had their Halloween party this weekend. Mack and Will back at it with the shenanigans. From Will Smith’s TikTok pic.twitter.com/2Tz8Dx4zK1
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) October 13, 2025
Misa said the Toffolis “just told me I was going to be Mary, the fat one, so that was pretty funny. I thought we did a good job.”
sharks 2025 halloween party… well yes pic.twitter.com/RLmduOBZhB
— caro (@sharksties) October 13, 2025