Alex Nedeljkovic Makes NHL History: Gets Goalie Goal and Assist

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic set a historic NHL record on Friday night by becoming the first NHL goalie to record a goal and an assist in the same game. He is only 16 goaltenders in league history to have scored a goal, and his goal sealed a win for the Penguins, who beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2.

Nedeljkovic’s goal came with 2:42 remaining in the third period. As the Sabres softly dumped the puck in, he picked it up behind the net, turned around, and fired it in dead center from behind his own goal line. He took a hit to make the play, but he didn’t stay down as he quickly skated to the benched and jumped into his teammates like a a football player who scored a touchdown and jumped into the crowd.

Beyond the goal, he also scored an assist on the Penguins’ second goal of the game. Assists are rare already. A goal and an assist is something else. Amazingly, Nedeljkovic is the only goalie to score a goal in the NHL, AHL, & ECHL. As per @Chris_Jast, he’s one of three goalies to score a goal in the NHL & AHL, joining Tristan Jarry and Chris Mason.

It’s tough to know how long Nedeljkovic’s record will last. More and more netminders in the NHL are becoming skilled puck handlers. Around the league, goaltenders are more versatile and capable of scoring a goal than ever.