The Top Goal Scorer

While this may seem like an article about someone like Leon Draisaitl, Sam Reinhart, or Alex Ovechkin, the man to the left might be one of the best goal scorers in hockey history for his position. That's Alex Nedeljkovic in his Team USA gear from last year's IIHF World Hockey Championship, and he could potentially play for Team USA this season if the Pittsburgh Penguins struggle down the stretch. That being said, Nedeljkovic is doing his best to ensure that doesn't happen by stopping pucks and scoring goals! In doing that last part, he made a little history two ways tonight as he was part of the scoring outburst for the Penguins against the Sabres!

Before we get to the history made tonight, let's go to the video.
Nedekjkovic's goal at 17:18 of the third period pushed the score to 5-2 in favour of the Penguins, and the win moved them within three points of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Clearly, there's still a lot of work to do in Pittsburgh, but Nedeljkovic was helping his own cause with the 19th goalie goal scored in NHL history.

As historic as it is to witness a goalie goal, Nedeljkovic is the 16th goalie in NHL history to be credited with a goal and the eleventh goalie to shoot the puck the length of the ice into the opposite net. That's the not the history we're here to discuss despite those facts being important footnotes on the goal scored above. Instead, Nedeljkovic has done two things that no other goalie can claim at this point, and both are pretty cool if you appreciate goalie goals.

The first is a new mark for goaltenders in general as Nedeljkovic's goal made him the first goalie in NHL history to record a goal and an assist in a single game! Nedeljkovic was awarded the secondary assist on Cody Glass's second-period power-play goal at 11:43 to give him his first assist of the season. There have been other two-point nights for goalies in the NHL, but none have ever been achieved through a goal and an assist. Nedeljkovic can now boast that he's the first to hold that historic mark in NHL history!

Secondly and perhaps more importantly, Alex Nedeljkovic stands alone as a goal scorer for his position now as Nedeljkovic became the only goaltender in hockey history to score at the NHL level, the AHL level, and the ECHL level! On December 30, 2016, Nedeljkovic scored the fifth goal in a 5-3 win for the ECHL's Florida Everblades over the Atlanta Gladiators. He followed that goal up by adding an AHL goal on March 10, 2018 when he scored on the Hartford Wolf Pack at 17:55 of the third period as a member of the Charlotte Checkers in a 7-3 final. He'd add a second AHL goal while stopping pucks for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 18:56 of the third period against the Providence Bruins to make it 4-2 on November 17, 2023.

Say what you want, but Alex Nedeljkovic is one of the top goal scorers for his position that hockey has ever seen! He now adds his name to the illustrious list below:

• Billy Smith, NY Islanders – Nov. 28, 1979 at Colorado
• Ron Hextall, Philadelphia – Dec. 8, 1987 vs. Boston
• Ron Hextall, Philadelphia – Apr. 11, 1989 at Washington*
• Chris Osgood, Detroit – Mar. 6, 1996 at Hartford
• Martin Brodeur, New Jersey – Apr. 17, 1997 vs. Montreal
• Damian Rhodes, Ottawa – Jan 2, 1999 vs. New Jersey
• Martin Brodeur, New Jersey – Feb. 15, 2000 vs. Philadelphia**
• Jose Theodore, Montreal – Jan. 2, 2001 at NY Islanders
• Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose – Mar. 10, 2002 at Vancouver***
• Mika Noronen, Buffalo – Feb. 14, 2004 at Toronto
• Chris Mason, Nashville – Apr. 15, 2006 vs Phoenix
• Cam Ward, Carolina – Dec. 26, 2011 vs. New Jersey
• Martin Brodeur, New Jersey – Mar. 21, 2013 at Carolina***
• Mike Smith, Phoenix – Oct. 19, 2013 vs. Detroit
• Pekka Rinne, Nashville - Jan. 9, 2020 at Chicago
• Linus Ullmark, Boston - Feb. 25, 2023 at Vancouver
• Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh - Nov. 30, 2023 at Tampa Bay
• Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota - Oct. 15, 2024 at St. Louis***
• Alex Nedeljkovic, Pittsburgh - January 17, 2025 at Buffalo

Some quick notes: the italicized goals above were scored in the playoffs. The single asterisk denotes a shorthanded goal, the double-asterisk goal denotes a game-winning goal, and the triple-asterisk goals were scored on the power-play. 14 different teams have had a goal scored by a goaltender while 15 different teams have been victimized by a goalie goal. Pittsburgh joins Nashville as the only teams who have had two different goalies score for them.

Just for the record, Nedeljkovic made 40 saves tonight to pick up his eighth win of the season in the 5-3 victory. His goal was scored unassisted, and it's the first goalie goal surrendered by the Buffalo Sabres in their history. Buffalo's lone goalie goal was credited to Mika Noronen after Toronto's Robert Reichel centered the puck from behind the net to no one, and the puck slid the length of the ice into the vacated Toronto net. Aren't goalie goals fun?

Congratulations to Alex Nedeljkovic for putting his name into the hockey history books with his goal tonight! I'm quite certain that Nedeljkovic would trade those records for a Stanley Cup, but the Penguins are still in the hunt when it comes to securing a playoff spot. Nedeljkovic will play a role in that push, and he could be a key part of the offence if he keeps scoring like he did tonight in Buffalo!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!