Nedeljkovic discusses fight with Bobrovsky, and his ‘Oh, crap’ moment

A scrum between the Sharks and Florida Panthers to the right of the San Jose net turned into a rare goalie fight, as Alex Nedeljkovic and Sergei Bobrovsky went toe-to-toe early in the third period in Sunrise, Fla.

Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais upended Panthers forward Mackie Samoskevich along the boards in the San Jose end. Evan Rodrigues then came in and leveled Desharnais with a hit from behind.

That caused a melee to the side of the Sharks’ net, with Nedeljkovic jumping to get a piece of Rodrigues. A few seconds later, Bobrovsky skated the length of the ice to get at Nedeljkovic, who turned around just as Bobrovsky arrived.

“I don’t know why I felt the need to turn around, but it was a little bit like an ‘Oh, crap’ moment,” Nedeljkovic said on NBC Sports California. “Fight or flight kind of kicked in. I tried to watch (Ryan Reaves) as best I could. I hope I made him a little bit proud out there.”

Nedeljkovic’s mask came off first, and Bobrovsky’s was ripped off a bit later as the two goalies tried to land right hands. Nedeljkovic landed on top of Bobrovsky to end the fight.

“I felt it’s a little bit too much over the line, so I wanted to make sure to get in and let them know,” Bobrovsky said of Nedeljkovic’s actions. “I felt just like I made a decision and went straight into it.”

“I was just doing my best not to get punched,” Nedeljkovic said. “He came out swinging. So I was just trying not to lose any teeth, or straighten my nose out a little bit more. I don’t want it that way.”

Sharks players on the bench, including Macklin Celebrini and Michael Misa, roared with approval.

“I didn’t really expect consequences of doing it, to be honest with you,” Nedeljkovic said. “I got a little surprised when (Bobrovsky) came down. But I would do it all over again, for (Desharnais), for whoever. and I think that just speaks to how close we are in that locker room and how far we’ve come as a team.”

WE HAVE A GOALIE FIGHT!!!

ALEX NEDELJKOVIC VS. SERGEI BOBROVSKY pic.twitter.com/YvUvT4VOoW

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 20, 2026

Both Nedeljkovic and Bobrovsky were assessed five-minute fighting majors and two-minute minors for leaving the crease at the 6:00 mark of the third period, as the Sharks held a 3-1 lead.

It is believed to be the first goalie-on-goalie fight in Sharks history.

Nedeljkovic, though, was in one other fight as a professional, and that was on April 22, 2017, when he was with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. Nedeljkovic fought fellow goalie Ryan Massa of the Orlando Solar Bears. Both received a game misconduct.

Nedeljkovic was having another strong game at the time, stopping 28 of the first 29 shots he faced with 8:18 left in regulation time. He finished with 35 saves as the Sharks earned a 4-1 victory for their eighth win in their last 12 games.

“We’re all just playing for each other in there, all 20 guys are fighting for each other,” Nedeljkovic said. “It didn’t matter who it was that got hit. I would have gone in for him.”