With the Penguins leading the Sabres 4-2 and Buffalo's goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at the bench, the Sabres would put the puck into the corner and the puck would come to Nedeljkovic. With that goal, Nedeljkovic would become just the second goalie in the Penguins' history to score a goal.
Luukkonen was sharp in Wednesday's 4-2 win over Carolina as he turned aside 35 shots. Luukkonen is 14-13-4 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.99 GAA and an .898 save percentage. The Penguins are averaging 2.96 goals per game in 2024-25.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen wasn't able to bail out the Sabres when they began to make mistakes in the second period. Their starting goalie was outplayed by Penguins backup Alex Nedeljkovic, as Pittsburgh scored four consecutive goals and held on for a 5-2 win in KeyBank Center.
Back on Oct. 16 in Pittsburgh, the Buffalo Sabres started the habit of blowing leads. Buffalo had a 2-0 and 3-1 first period lead against the Pittsburgh Penguins, only to lose in overtime on a Sidney Crosby overtime goal,
The Penguins snapped a three-game losing streak, improving to 19-20-8. The Sabres, now 17-23-5, will look to address their defensive and penalty-kill issues. Earlier this season they lost 11 straight games and have lost five of their last eight games.
Luukkonen stopped 14 of 18 shots in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Penguins. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.
The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Buffalo to face the Sabres in a pivotal Eastern Conference matchup at KeyBank Center. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here on Last Word on Hockey!
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Alex Nedeljkovic became the first goalie in NHL history to have a goal and an assist, and made 40 saves as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2.
Alex Nedeljkovic became the second goaltender in Pittsburgh Penguins history to score a goal during a 5-2 victory against the Buffalo Sabres, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Friday. His score came on an empty net at 17:18 of the third period.
Nedeljkovic became the first goalie in NHL history to have a goal and an assist in a game during the Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres.
Nedeljkovic scored when he sent the puck from behind the net down the ice and into an empty net with 2:42 left in the third.