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Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic makes NHL history with goal, assist in win over Sabres | TribLIVE.com
Penguins/NHL

Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic makes NHL history with goal, assist in win over Sabres

Seth Rorabaugh
Seth Rorabaugh
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Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring during the third period against the Sabres on Friday.
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Sabres right wing Jack Quinn is stopped by Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic during the first period Friday.
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Sabres center Ryan McLeod carries the puck into the zone during the first period Friday.
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Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin checks Penguins center Noel Acciari during the first period Friday.
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Penguins defenseman P.O Joseph and Sabres left wing Beck Malenstyn (right) battle after the whistle during the first period Friday.
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Penguins right wing Rickard Rakell celebrates his goal against the Sabres during the second period Friday.
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Penguins center Cody Glass (19) celebrates his goal with forward Philip Tomasino (53) and right wing Kevin Hayes (13) during the second period against the Sabres on Friday.
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Penguins left wing Anthony Beauvillier (72) celebrates his goal during the second period against the Sabres on Friday.
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Penguins right wing Kevin Hayes is pressured by Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram during the second period Friday.
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Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) is checked by Penguins center Noel Acciari (55) during the third period Friday.
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Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) celebrates with defenseman Erik Karlsson after scoring during the third period against the Sabres on Friday.
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Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring during the third period against the Sabres on Friday.

Alex Nedeljkovic became the second goaltender in Pittsburgh Penguins history to score a goal during a 5-2 victory against the Buffalo Sabres, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Friday.

His score came on an empty net at 17:18 of the third period. He also had an assist earlier in the contest and became the first goalie in NHL history with a goal and an assist in the same game.

Oddly enough, his score came one day after the team assigned the first Penguins goaltender to achieve the feat, Tristan Jarry, to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

Jarry’s goal came during a 4-3 road win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 30, 2023.

Nedeljkovic, 29, has previously scored goals in the AHL and ECHL and became the first goaltender to do that in all three leagues.

“I’ve only had ever one or two opportunities since I’ve played in the NHL to have a legit shot,” Nedeljkovic said to media in Buffalo via audio provided by the team’s media relations department. “It was nice to bury it.”

As for his primary duties, he made 40 saves on 42 shots and boosted his record to 8-7-4.

The Penguins got the desired result despite the absence of All-Star defenseman Kris Letang, who was scratched due to an illness according to one of the team’s social media accounts.

Sabres defenseman Owen Power opened the scoring with his sixth goal of the season during a power-play opportunity 15:16 into regulation.

Accepting a pass at the left point of the offensive zone, Power backpedaled to the high slot, advanced towards the hashmarks and released a wrister that clunked off the right post and beat Nedeljkovic’s glove. Forward Zach Benson and defenseman Bowen Byram had assists.

The Penguins tied the game with a power-play score of their own as forward Rickard Rakell registered his team-best 23rd goal 101 seconds into the second period.

From the right point of Buffalo’s zone, Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk fed a forehand pass to the lower right circle for forward Bryan Rust, who one-touched the puck to the upper portions of the circle, allowing Rakell to lean on his right knee and rip a one-timer to the far side, beating goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s blocker. Penguins forward Michael Bunting supplied a screen on the sequence. Rust and Grzelcyk generated assists.

Penguins forward Anthony Beauvillier’s 10th goal supplied the visitors their first lead only 27 seconds later.

Curling behind from his own net, Penguins forward Cody Glass fired a stretch pass from the left circle to the far blue line. Beauvillier took in the puck, fended off Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju and attacked the cage. Upon arrival, Beauvillier fired a wrister under Luukkonen’s glove. The only assist went to Glass.

Glass’ second goal of the season came during a power-play sequence at 11:43 of the second frame.

Lugging the puck up ice from his own zone, Penguins forward Philip Tomasino gained the offensive blue line on the right wing, veered past Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson in the right circle then slipped a clever pass to the lower right hashmark where an onrushing Glass swiped a one-timer by Luukkonen’s blocker. Tomasino and Nedeljkovic tallied assists. It was the first point recorded by a Penguins goaltender this season.

Penguins forward Bryan Rust got in on the act by scoring his 18th goal 69 seconds into the third period while on the power play.

Keeping a puck in the offensive zone at the right point, Grzelcyk flicked a difficult backhand pass to the upper left circle. With an acre of ice and a calendar of time to pick his shot, Rust opted for a far-side wrister beyond the grasp of Lukkonen’s glove. Assists belonged to Grzelcyk and Bunting.

Benson’s eighth goal came at 14:46 of the third frame with Luukkonen pulled for an extra attacker.

Entering the offensive zone on the right wing, Sabres forward Alex Tuch chipped a pass to the near circle for Sabres forward Tage Thompson. Fighting off Penguins defenseman P.O Joseph, Thompson used his 6-foot-6 frame to slip a pass across the front of the crease. Getting a step on a backchecking Rakell, Benson chopped a forehand shot over a scrambling Nedeljkovic. Thompson and Tuch had assists.

Nedeljkovic removed any notion of a comeback with his score.

Sabres forward Peyton Krebs backhanded a dump-in from the left point of the offensive zone behind the cage. Nedeljkovic moved to his right to vacate his crease, settled the puck on the end boards then maneuvered to the opposite side of the cage where he flung a forehand offering down ice. The puck landed just past the center red line and skidded into the Sabres’ vacant cage. There were no assists.

“That was really cool for (Nedeljkovic),” Grzelcyk said to reporters in Buffalo. “He plays the puck so well.”

Notes:

• Nedeljkovic previously scored for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 4-2 road win against the Providence Bruins, Nov. 17, 2023.

• His first goal at the AHL level came as a member of the Charlotte Checkers during a 7-3 home win against the Hartford Wolf Pack, March 10, 2018.

• As for his offensive exploits in the ECHL, his lone goal in that league came with the Florida Everblades during a 5-3 win against the Atlanta Gladiators, Dec. 30, 2016.

Nedeljkovic’s goal was the 19th in NHL history by a goaltender.

• The Nashville Predators are the other franchise in NHL history to have multiple netminders score a goal (Pekka Rinne on Jan. 9, 2020 and Chris Mason on April 15, 2006).

• Jarry, Mason and Damian Rhodes are the only other goaltenders to score a goal in the NHL and AHL.

• Glass went 16 games without a goal dating to Dec. 12.

• Rakell (149 points) surpassed forward Dave Hannan (148) for 62nd place on the franchise’s career scoring list.

• With Letang absent, defenseman Ryan Graves returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch the previous six games.

• Penguins forward Matt Nieto and defenseman Ryan Shea were healthy scratches.

Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.

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