Pittsburgh goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic made NHL history by scoring an empty-net goal and adding an assist to go along with 40 saves in the Penguins’ 5-2 road win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
Nedeljkovic is the first NHL goalie ever to have a goal and an assist in the same game.
Rickard Rakell, Cody Glass and Bryan Rust scored on the power play for the Penguins, who tallied three times in the second period to erase a 1-0 deficit. Anthony Beauvillier also scored, Glass and Rust each had an assist and Matt Grzelcyk had two helpers as Pittsburgh snapped a three-game skid.
Days after the Penguins waived veteran Tristan Jarry, Nedeljkovic was solid for a Pittsburgh team that entered Friday 1-4-3 since Dec. 29.
He earned an assist on Glass’s goal that made it 3-1, then with 2:42 left in regulation, Nedeljkovic flipped the puck from behind his own goal, down the ice and into the Sabres’ empty net.
It marked the second ever goal by a Penguins netminder after Jarry netted the first on Nov. 30, 2023.
Owen Power and Zach Benson scored for Buffalo, which was stymied often by Nedeljkovic after totaling 14 goals while winning three of its previous four contests. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 14 saves for the Sabres.
The opening period was uneventful until Pittsburgh superstar Evgeni Malkin drew a double-minor penalty for a high stick on Buffalo’s Beck Malenstyn with 7:36 left. Toward the end of that extended penalty, Power eased down into the slot and sent a drive past Nedeljkovic to open the scoring with 4:44 remaining in the first.
Pittsburgh, however, answered with two goals 27 seconds apart early in the second.
Just 1:41 into the middle frame, on their own power play, the Penguins tied it when Rakell went down on a knee to successfully one-time Rust’s touch pass. Pittsburgh went ahead moments later when Glass sent a stretch pass to a streaking Beauvillier, who made a nifty stick move before beating Luukkonen.
Glass put Pittsburgh up 3-1 with a little more than eight minutes to go in the second, cashing in a close-range shot on the man advantage.
Rust recorded the Penguins’ third power-play goal just 1:09 into the third when he flipped a shot from the circle over Luukkonen’s shoulder.
Benson’s goal came with 5:14 to play and Luukkonen pulled.
–Field Level Media
