Was Alex Nedeljkovic's Game on Friday the Greatest Goaltender Performance in NHL History?

I'm going to make a brash claim: Alex Nedeljkovic's performance in Friday's win over the Buffalo Sabres is the single greatest goaltender performance of all time.

Is that a foolish claim? Maybe. But in the subsequent paragraphs, I'm going to attempt to back up my claim. I'm going to do my research, and at the end, I'll determine if my claim is valid.

The Details

Pittsburgh SportsNet flashed a graphic during the Capitals game about major accomplishments and their frequencies in different sports. The amount of goalie goals in NHL history is fewer than MLB perfect games, which is often considered the most improbable, impressive feat in sports.

There have only been 16 goalies in NHL history to record a goal with 19 goalie goals being scored overall. To say the feat is rare is an understatement. It takes an unbelievable amount of strength, precision, timing, and a bit of luck.

Alex Nedeljkovic joined the exclusive club with a wicked wrister from behind his own net on Friday, and it was awesome.

My Grading Criteria

This is a subjective claim, and it's open for discussion, but I'm obligated to share my criteria for what I consider to be a great goaltender performance.

Sure, I can just look at Casey DeSmith in 2022 against the Bruins stopping all 52 shots in a shutout effort and give him the crown.

But I'm not going to do that. I'm above such things.

Think about it. A goalie has one job: stop goals. That is his function. If you go on LinkedIn and try to find yourself a job as a netminder (at any level), you will not find "must be able to contribute offensively" in the job description.

Again, goaltenders have one job: tend the goal. Revolutionary, I know. Yet, in just a few instances in NHL history, goalies have decided to show the ultimate initiative and score themselves. If they're not careful, they might get first line minutes next game.

The winner of my prestigious award must have scored a goal in the game.

We also have to take into account how well they performed their primary job expectation. Did they stop goals from happening? Sure, you can help offensively, but if you score a goal in a game where you let in five goals (*cough* Ron Hextall), then you will not be considered for my case study.

These are the questions we're going to ask ourselves:

1. Did the goalie score a goal?

2. Did the goalie record a save percentage above .940?

3. How many goals did the goalie give up?

With that out of the way, lets start comparing other performances.

Oh, one more thing...

Actually, I lied. There's one more criterion: the goal had to come off their own stick.

If you look up "goalie goal compilations" on YouTube, you'll probably be pretty disappointed because there's a way goalies can "score" without actually trying to score.

If there is a delayed penalty and the attacking team has an own goal scored on their empty net, the last to touch the puck on the scoring team is awarded with the goal.

This leads to many of our goalie goal instances being very underwhelming. They're awarded a goal without really attempting to score one. It doesn't count as a shot on net. Thus, we're tightening our grip. The goalie has to actually shoot the puck.

Martin Brodeur - April 17, 1997

Just to get the juices flowing for what to expect in this breakdown, let's look at one performance that doesn't meet my criteria, but gives a flavor for what I'm looking for.

Martin Brodeur is not only a hall of famer, but he's also the all-time leader in goalie goals with three.

His first came in the First Round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Canadiens, and he had a great game in net. He saved 28 of 30 shots (.933 SV%) in the 5-2 Game 1 win. To do this in a playoff game is remarkable, but, this could be considered with the rest of the goalie goals in nature.

Additionally, his game between the pipes was great, but nothing unheard of.

Jose Theodore - January 2, 2001

I'm going to be honest, this one might be tough to beat, but we'll see.

Jose Theodore beat the buzzer for his goalie goal with a two goal lead against the Islanders at the onset of the new year. He even scored on the backhand with a guy in his kitchen, making this goal even more impressive and improbable (although that isn't part of my criteria).

What might be the most impressive apsect of Theodore's performance, though, is that he pitched a shutout. The Islanders were unable to score on 32 shots - a perfect 1.000 SV% for the 25 year-old netminder.

Ned has some competition, but I'll give my final verdict at the end.

Mike Smith - October 19, 2013

This is one of my favorite NHL clips of all time. I said Theodore's goal was a buzzer beater, but Mike Smith took "buzzer beater" to all-time heights.

With 0.1 seconds left, the puck fluttered into the Red Wings' goal, giving the now-defunct Phoenix Coyotes crowd one last thing to go crazy about in a 5-2 win.

Smith was also very good in goal, stopping 31 of 33 shots (.940 SV%).

Linus Ullmark - February 25, 2023

Linus Ullmark was a bold cat for trying this in a one goal game. And just look at how far out of his crease he is. This could have gone very wrong.

I wouldn't be surprised if Jim Montgomery yelled at him after the game with the ol', "You're a goaltender...tend the goal!"

Regardless, Ullmark got away with this one and stopped 26 of 27 shots (.963 SV%) in the process.

Tristan Jarry - November 30, 2023

Oh boy. This one is going to be met with some mixed feelings.

By now, everyone is well aware that Tristan Jarry was waived and eventually sent to WBS a few days ago. Nedeljkovic's performance was the first game since Jarry was waived. It's almost laughable how ironic everything is.

But looking back on the first goalie goal in Penguins history, Jarry makes a case for himself.

He stopped 39 of 41 shots (.951 SV%), just one less save with the same amount of goals allowed as Nedeljkovic. How crazy would it be for Jarry to take this illustrious award in what is supposed to be Ned's spotlight?

I won't tip my hand just yet, but we're getting close.

Filip Gustavsson - October 15, 2024

The 2024-25 season marks the first time in NHL history with two goalie goals in the same season.

Gustavsson lit the fire for the Minnesota Wild this season, burying the empty netter to top off 27 saves on 28 shots (.964 SV%) en route to the Wild's fourth straight game with a point to start the season.

Now for Ned - How does he stack up?

The unique part about Alex Nedeljkovic's performance is that his personal goal was not the first goal he factored in on.

Earlier in the game, Ned was credited for a touch on the puck that ended up granting him a secondary assist on Cody Glass' power play goal.

Now, I'm not going to instill my bias in this, and I'll let you come to the same conclusion I did. Watch this full video to see how Ned factored into the play.

Look, I'm not going to pretend that this was a between-the-legs, saucer, no-look, stretch pass through traffic right onto the tape. If you see that, you're entitled to your own opinion, but, respectively, I'm asking you to go get some new Glass[es]. Bad joke, sorry.

Nedeljkovic became the first goalie in NHL history to record a goal and an assist in the same game. If my criteria involved the score sheet, I would have included Jeff Reese in 1993 who recorded an NHL record three points (all assists) as a goalie in a game.

But, as you can see even here in our case study, getting on the stat sheet doesn't always mean you did something spectacular.

As for his night in net, Nedeljkovic stopped 40 of 42 shots (.952 SV%), which is the largest number of saves in a game that meets my criteria. However, he did let in two goals.

Hockey fans have created a new type of hat trick thanks to this performance. You've heard of the Gordie Howe Hat Trick (a goal, assist, and fight); feast your eyes on the Alex Nedeljkovic Hat Trick - a goal, assist, and 40 saves.

Honorable Mentions

The Final Verdict - Is Ned the Best?

After much pondering, I've come to my conclusion.

Alex Nedeljkovic's performance on January 17, 2025 is the 2nd greatest performance by a goalie in NHL history.

As much as I would love to crowd Ned as having the greatest performance by a goaltender in my book, I have to give it to Jose Theodore. He faced eight less shots than Ned, but he gave up two less goals, and, overall, gave up zero goals. It's enough to offset the assist for me. A goal plus a shutout is an all-time performance.

Here are my final rankings:

All things considered, it's a pretty incredible game Alex Nedeljkovic put up on Friday night, and the Penguins will need plenty more of that if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.

So what do you think? Do you agree with the rankings? Chime in on the conversation on our Twitter/X @PensLabyrinth or on Facebook at facebook.com/penslabyrinth/! All stats courtesy of hockey-reference.com.