WATCH: Nedeljkovic makes early ‘save of the year’ candidate against Chicago

Detroit Red Wings goaltender @Alex Nedeljkovic picked up his first win with his new team in Sunday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. He also made a compelling early argument to be included in the “save of the year” discussion at season’s end.

Nedeljkovic stopped 32 shots in Detroit’s 6-3 win over Chicago. His best save came with the Red Wings defending their three-goal lead while down two players in the latter half of the third period.

Blackhawks captain @Jonathan Toews found @Alex DeBrincat in the crease with a pass that gave him a wide-open net to shoot at. DeBrincat whiffed on the shot but still sent it fluttering towards Detroit’s vacant goal.

Nedeljkovic managed to lunge over with his stick and swatted the puck out of mid-air, preserving his team’s 6-3 lead. Here’s the video of the save, as posted to Twitter by Bally Sports Detroit:

15 of Nedeljkovic’s 32 saves came while his team played down a man (or two). The 25-year-old goaltender now boasts a 1-1-1 and an .897 save percentage with the Red Wings.

@Lucas Raymond scored a hat trick for Detroit in the win, with @Tyler Bertuzzi, @Vladislav Namestnikov, and @Carter Rowney also scoring for the Red Wings. @Tyler Johnson, @Dominik Kubalik, and Henrik Borgström scored for Chicago, which fell to a league-worst 0-5-1 with the setback.

Nedeljkovic could be back between the pipes when the Red Wings take on the Washington Capitals at Capital One Center on Oct. 27.