BUFFALO, N.Y. — In a remarkable night for the Pittsburgh Penguins, goalie Alex Nedeljkovic achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first goaltender in NHL history to record both a goal and an assist. He also showcased his skills by making 40 saves, leading the Penguins to a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday evening.
The Penguins ended their three-game losing streak with this win, bolstered by strategic goals from Rickard Rakell, Anthony Beauvillier, Cody Glass, and Bryan Rust. For the Sabres, Owen Power and Zach Benson found the back of the net, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was credited with 14 saves. This match marked Buffalo’s 18th defeat in their last 24 games, placing their record at 6-14-4.
Nedeljkovic’s achievement came shortly after former Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry cleared waivers and was reassigned to the AHL. In an impressive play, Nedeljkovic assisted on Cody Glass’ goal, which extended Pittsburgh’s lead to 3-1 with just over eight minutes remaining in the second period. Later in the game, he solidified his record by scoring an empty-net goal from behind the net, sending the puck the full length of the ice with only 2:42 left on the clock.
The scoring began with Power, who netted a power-play goal with just 4:14 left in the opening period. The momentum shifted quickly to the Penguins as Rakell and Beauvillier found the net just 27 seconds apart early in the second, giving Pittsburgh a 2-1 advantage. Rust further extended the lead to 4-1 at the 1:09 mark of the third period before Benson narrowed the gap to 4-2 with just over five minutes left in the match.
In their performance, the Sabres struggled on special teams, with their penalty kill allowing one successful conversion against the Penguins, bringing their recent record in penalty-killing situations to 22-for-25 over the previous ten games. Meanwhile, the victory brought the Penguins within three points of the Boston Bruins, placing them in contention for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
A key highlight of the night was Nedeljkovic’s historic goal, marking him as the 16th goaltender in NHL history to score, with the last being Filip Gustavsson from the Minnesota Wild on October 15 against St. Louis.
Looking ahead, the Sabres are set to visit Seattle on Monday to kick off a four-game road trip, while the Penguins have a matchup against Washington on Saturday.
