New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur was credited with his third NHL goal when Carolina's Jordan Staal accidently put the puck in his own empty net.

Martin Brodeur in his return to the ice
Martin Brodeur in his return to the ice (Facebook)
loading...

Brodeur returned to the lineup on Thursday night. He had been out since Feb. 21 with a pinched nerve in his back and neck.

With a delayed penalty call pending against New Jersey's Marek Zidlicky, Staal passed the puck back to the point from behind the net.

The pass missed intended target Tim Gleason and bounced off the boards near center ice. Carolina goalie Dan Ellis had already skated toward the bench because of the delayed penalty and couldn't get back in time to prevent the puck from sliding into the net.

Because he was the last Devils player to touch the puck, Brodeur got credit for a power-play goal.

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM