With their postseason hanging in the balance and only six games remaining, the Pittsburgh Penguins are sticking with the hot hand in net, as Alex Nedeljkovic is scheduled to make his eighth consecutive start Saturday afternoon.

Coach Mike Sullivan revealed his starting goaltender a few hours before Saturday’s 1:05 p.m. puck drop vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning at PPG Paints Arena.

Nedeljkovic is 5-0-2 over his last seven starts dating back to March 24, helping the Penguins collect critical late-season points that has thrust them back into the mix for an Eastern Conference wild-card slot, with third place in the Metropolitan Division still within reach, as well.

While the recent shortcomings of other playoff hopefuls such as the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings have also played a role, Nedeljkovic has been a major architect in reviving his club’s postseason chances.

The 28-year-old Nedeljkovic is 15-6-6 with a 2.78 goals against average and .908 save percentage.

Fellow goaltender Tristan Jarry (19-24-5) has not started a game since March 22, when he was pulled on the road in an eventual 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars.

Jarry was scratched for a pair of games earlier this week because of illness.

Notes:

• Blueliner John Ludvig is unavailable against the Lightning due to illness, with Sullivan listing him as day-to-day. Ludvig, 23, has not played since March 30.

He has three goals and a pair of assists in 33 games this season, averaging 11 minutes, 48 seconds of nightly ice time.

• Forward Jansen Harkins, on long-term injured reserve since March 8 due to a right hand injury that required surgery, will be on a conditioning assignment with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, per Sullivan.

Harkins, an October waiver claim from the Winnipeg Jets, has skated in 43 games, contributing four assists and zero goals in a predominantly fourth-line role.

• No update was provided on defenseman Ryan Graves, who has been sidelined after suffering a concussion mid-game vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 28.

Graves had played in 70 games at the time of his concussion, scoring three goals with 14 assists while averaging 18:23 minutes per game.

• Tampa Bay (43-26-7, 93 points) is 10-1-1 over its last 12 games and sits in fourth place in the Atlantic Division. The Lightning clinched a playoff spot Friday for the seventh straight season.

• Andrei Vasilevskiy is Tampa Bay’s expected starting goaltender. He is 29-17-2 with a 2.82 goals against average and .902 save percentage.

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