Alex Nedeljkovic remembers watching Marty Turco and Martin Brodeur as a child, admiring how they handled the puck.
On Friday night, Nedeljkovic achieved something neither Turco, Brodeur, nor any other goalie had done before.
He became the first goalie in NHL history to record both a goal and an assist in the same game during the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing the puck,” Nedeljkovic said. “Growing up, I watched some of the best guys do it, like Marty Turco, Marty Brodeur were two guys that I watched a lot and really learned a lot from in terms of puck handling. It’s been part of my game as long as I can remember.”
Nedeljkovic explained that his puck-handling skills were developed thanks to advice from his father. “Started from just conversations with my dad in the car telling me, like, ‘Don’t just throw the puck around the boards every time you get it.
Try to make a smart play with it, put it on guys’ tape. Don’t just do it; if you’re going to do it, at least try to do something with it.’ It’s really exciting right now.”
In addition to his historic feat, Nedeljkovic made 40 saves in the game. He had a secondary assist on Glass’ goal, which came with 8:17 remaining in the second period, giving the Penguins a 3-1 lead. Later, with just 2:42 left in the game and the Sabres pulling their goalie for an extra skater, Nedeljkovic made his mark.
He gathered the puck behind his own net and, from about 180 feet away, fired the puck into the empty net to score and seal the win.
Penguins forward Bryan Rust, who had been on the ice, recalled seeing Nedeljkovic in position to score. “I’m out there and I see a relatively soft rim,” Rust said. “I’m like, ‘He’s getting it. We’re up by two. I know he’s probably shooting it.’ So, I kind of just stood there and watched the rest of however many seconds it was. You see him take off for the bench and everyone just mauled him. It was cool.”
Nedeljkovic also made history in the ECHL, AHL, and NHL as the first goalie to score a goal in all three leagues.
His goal was only the 19th scored by a goalie in NHL history, and he became the 16th goalie to achieve this feat. He’s now the second Penguins goalie to score a goal after Tristan Jarry, who was sent to the AHL on Thursday, became the first to do so on November 30, 2023.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan praised Nedeljkovic’s accomplishment, saying, “It was great. The guys were joking with him. They said all he was missing was a fight for the Gordie Howe hat trick.”
