There could also be nothing extra thrilling in hockey than a goalie firing a puck down the ice right into a yawning cage. Alex Nedeljkovic can now say he is achieved the feat twice, etching his title within the report books alongside the way in which.
On Friday, Nedeljikovic turned the primary netminder to report two profession objectives in AHL historical past after he sealed a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 4-2 win over the Providence Bruins with an empty-netter late within the third interval.
Nedeljikovic tallied his first objective as a member of the Charlotte Checkers in 2018, scoring in opposition to the Hartford Wolf Pack.
For context, just one NHL goaltender, Ron Hextall (1987, 1989), has scored two objectives throughout their profession. Martin Brodeur has three objectives on his stat sheet (1997, 1999, 2000), however just one got here off the stick of the Hall of Famer.
Formerly a second-round choose of the Carolina Hurricanes within the 2014 NHL Draft, Nedeljikovic made the All-Rookie workforce in 2020-2021, going 23-15-5 with a 1.90 GAA in 23 begins with the Hurricanes. However, earlier than the 2021-2022 marketing campaign, the Hurricanes traded him to the Detroit Red Wings, the place his play declined. After going 25-31-11 with a 3.35 GAA over two seasons, Nedeljikovic fell out of favor in Detroit, finally agreeing to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins forward of the 2023-2024 season.
The 27-year-old was 1-1-0 (3.01 GAA) for the Penguins this yr earlier than struggling a lower-body damage in opposition to the Dallas Stars in October. Nedelijikovic was with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on mortgage from the Penguins for conditioning in preparation for a return to the large membership.
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