Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic accidentally scores on himself
(Screenshot/ ESPN+)

This is one for the blooper reel.

Detroit Red Wings’ goalie Alex Nedeljkovic allowed an embarrassing own goal Thursday night versus Minnesota. The Detroit netminder accidentally redirected a shot that was going wide into his own net.

The blooper occured in a nationally televised NHL game between the Red Wings and Wild on ESPN. Detroit has been struggling, managing just two victories in their past six games. Nedeljkovic has struggled to find his game in Detroit since the trade from Carolina.

Nedeljkovic’s misfortunes continued Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena. The Red Wings’ goaltender tried to swat away a bouncing puck that came at him from a distance. Instead of swatting it away, Nedeljkovic accidentally batted it five-hole right into his own goal. The worst part is the shot was clearly going wide.

Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba took the original shot from behind his own blueline. Forward Joel Eriksson EK got a stick on the puck in the neutral zone and was officially credited with the goal. Eriksson Ek will be telling stories about this goal to his grandkids one day.

Video:

Nedeljkovic is never going to hear the end of this one:

 
It’s definitely a bad goal to allow, but it’s also unlucky at the same time. Eriksson Ek’s deflection put a spin on a puck that was difficult for the Detroit goalie to anticipate.

Since arriving in Detroit, Nedeljkovic is 17-15-1 with a .901 save percentage and 3.19 GAA. He’s only one year removed from being a finalist for the Calder Trophy as one of the NHL’s top rookies. Hopefully Nedeljkovic can bounce back after this blooper and get on track in Detroit.

While some NHL goaltenders have elite puck-handling ability, others are better off just staying in their net. It’s also fitting we get a baseball-like blooper from Nedeljkovic on the day the MLB announces its return.