Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic had a great night in net on Friday night. He stopped 40 of 42 shots he faced in a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres, but he also had NHL story by generating some offense.
With less than three minutes left in regulation, the Sabers pulled their goaltender in hopes of erasing a 4-2 deficit and forcing overtime. Instead, Nedeljkovic saw an opportunity and took it.
When the Sabers got the puck around the boards in Pittsburgh’s zone, Nedeljkovic went behind his net to retrieve it. That’s when the Penguins goaltender decided to take a shot at glory, sending the puck nearly 200 feet down the ice and into the empty net at the other end.
Nedeljkovic became the 16th goaltender in NHL history to score a goal, but the steps didn’t stop there. With his assist on Cody Glass’ second-period power play goal, Nedeljkovic also became the first goaltender in league history to record a goal and an assist in the same game.
Once again, the story doesn’t end there. By goalie standards, Nedeljkovic is a bit of a sniper. Prior to last night’s game, Nedeljkovic had scored goals in both the ECHL and AHL, and he is now the only goaltender to have found the back of the net at all three levels.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Nedeljkovic said his main emotion was “relief”. Nedeljkovic said he grew up watching two legendary goalies handle the puck with ease, and he always wanted to emulate them.
“I always liked playing with the puck,” Nedeljkovic said. “Growing up, I saw some of the best guys do it. Marty Turco and Marty Brodeur are two guys that 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 accomplished the feat in a 4-2 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 30, 2023.
