Penguins’ Alex Nedeljkovic becomes first goaltender in NHL history to score a goal and have an assist in a single game

BUFFALO — Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic scored a goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabers at KeyBank Center on Friday night.

Nedeljkovic scored into an empty net at 17:18 of the third period after the Sabers pulled their goaltender for an extra skater. Nedeljkovic also assisted on forward Cody Glass’ second-period goal.

Nedeljkovic is the first goaltender in NHL history to score and assist on a goal in a game. He is the 16th goaltender to score a goal and the second this season, joining Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild who scored in a victory against the St. Louis Blues on October 15, 2024.

“I always loved playing with the puck,” Nedejlkovic said as his teammates chanted his nickname “Ned!” several times in the visitors’ locker room.

“Growing up, I saw some of the best guys do it. Marty Turco and Marty Brodeur are two guys I’ve watched a lot and learned a lot from in terms of puck handling. It’s been part of my game for as long as I can remember. It all started with conversations with my dad in the car telling me, “Don’t just throw the puck up the boards. Whenever you get it, try to play smart with it. Put it on the guys’ tape. Don’t just do it if you want to do it. At least try to do something with it.

“So from there we’re a little more structured and doing tape-to-tape passes with the D and getting good punts and stuff like that. It’s really exciting right now.

FIRST GOALIE WITH A GOAL AND ASSIST IN A GAME IN NHL HISTORY 🤯 pic.twitter.com/wQ8XYPtEY5

– Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 18, 2025

The Penguins have ties to the last three NHL goalies to score a goal. Gustavsson is a former prospect, a second-round pick of the Penguins in 2016 before being traded to the Wild. Tristan Jarry scored a goal for the Penguins on November 30, 2023, in a victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Nedeljkovic said he knew after getting the puck behind the net that he had to shoot it quickly.

“At first I didn’t know if it was online,” he said. “He could have been in the corner or two feet off the ground or even not leaving the ice. I wasn’t sure. I got a little bump from one of these guys that spun me again. I didn’t see it until it was in the distant blue. At that point I saw he was online, but I saw he was on the ice, so I didn’t think it had much to do with it. But everyone was going crazy.

“I saw (Erik Karlsson) with his arms in the air and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s going in.’ Straight to the bench after that.

Penguins winger Bryan Rust was on the ice when Nedeljkovic made history.

“I’m over there and I see a relatively soft rim. I say to myself: “He understands; we’re up two, I know he’s probably shooting,” Rust said.

“So I just kind of stood there and watched the rest of the seconds, however many seconds it was. You see him go towards the bench and everyone mauls him. It was cool.

Nedeljkovic also made 40 saves for the Penguins, who are just one day away from placing Jarry in the AHL after being granted waivers.

Jarry signed a five-year contract in July 2023 and was named the Penguins’ franchise goaltender. Nedeljkvoic signed a one-year deal that summer and eventually supplanted Jarry as the starting goalie at the end of last season. Nedeljkovic re-signed last summer for two years.

He is no stranger to scoring goals. Nedeljkovic also scored goals in an AHL and ECHL game.

(Photo: Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)