Many of the Penguins think the spark Nedeljkovic provides on and off the ice might be just what they need to make a postseason push.
Nedeljkovic stopped 29 of 33 shots in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Ducks. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.
Nedeljkovic scored into an empty net at 17:18 of the third period after the Sabres pulled their goalie for an extra skater.
Mason McTavish and Alex Killorn each scored two goals and John Gibson made 31 saves as the host Anaheim Ducks snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
During the final minutes of the Penguins’ game against the Sabres on Friday, goalie Alex Nedeljkovic sniped a goal from the other side of the ice, becoming the first goalie in history to record a goal and an assist in the same NHL game. Upon scoring the goal, Nedeljkovic leaped into the Penguins’ bench, where he was mobbed by his teammates.
Alex Nedeljkovic became the first goalie in NHL history to have a goal and an assist, and made 40 saves as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2.
Alex Nedeljkovic may not have gotten a Gordie Howe hat trick on Friday in Buffalo, just missing the fight portion. But his unique accomplishment that night should perhaps be named after him moving forward.
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 the Penguins leading the Sabres 4-2 and Buffalo's goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at the bench, the Sabres would put the puck into the corner and the puck would come to Nedeljkovic. With that goal, Nedeljkovic would become just the second goalie in the Penguins' history to score a goal.
Penguins netminder Alex Nedeljkovic made history in a pair of ways. With roughly three minutes left in the game, the Sabres pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. Nedeljkovic collected a dumped puck and took a shot at the empty net, successfully scoring the NHL's most recent goalie goal.
Nedeljkovic scored when he sent the puck from behind the net down the ice and into an empty net with 2:42 left in the third.
Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic made history by becoming the first netminder to record a goal and an assist in an NHL game.