Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic had an excellent night between the pipes on Friday night. He stopped 40 of the 42 shots he faced in a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres, but he also made NHL history by generating some offense.
With under three minutes remaining in regulation, the Sabres pulled their goalie in hopes of erasing a 4-2 deficit and forcing overtime. Instead, Nedeljkovic saw an opportunity and took it.
When the Sabres rimmed the puck around the boards in the Pittsburgh zone, Nedeljkovic went behind his net to retrieve it. That’s when the Penguins netminder decided to take his shot at glory, firing the puck almost 200 feet down the ice and into the empty net at the other end.
Nedeljkovic became the 16th goalie in NHL history to score a goal, but the milestones didn’t end there. Because of his assist on Cody Glass’ power play goal in the second period, Nedeljkovic also became the first goalie in league history to record a goal and an assist in the same game.
Yet again, the history doesn’t end there. By goaltender standards, Nedeljkovic is a bit of a sniper. Prior to last night’s game, Nedeljkovic had recorded goals in the ECHL and AHL, and he’s now the only goalie ever to find the back of the net at all three levels.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Nedeljkovic said his main emotion was “relief.” Nedeljkovic said he grew up watching a pair of legendary goalies handle the puck with ease, and he always wanted to emulate them.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing the puck,” Nedeljkovic said. “Growing up, I watched some of the best guys do it. Marty Turco and Marty Brodeur were two guys I watched a lot and learned a lot from in terms of puck-handling.”
This is now the second straight season in which a Penguins goalie has scored a goal. Tristan Jarry pulled off the feat in a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 30, 2023.
