Tavares Scores Goal in First NHL Game
October 4, 2009 by Jeanne Dupuis
Filed under NHL, News
John Tavares has officially played his first NHL game and, despite losing, I’d say he had a heck of a night. Unfortunately, he had to make his debut against the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
This year’s first draft pick scored his first goal and picked up an assist and was actually chosen to go second in the shootout (he missed his shot). Pretty good for his first game with the New York Islanders. “We were in their face for most of the game,” Tavares said. “We played true Islander hockey. The result was disappointing, but we’re playing the Stanley Cup champs and there was a lot of positives to take from it.”
image: TSN
In the end, Pittsburgh Penguins captain, Sidney Crosby, stole the game from the Isles making Tavares’ first appearance a loss. Crosby scored just 8:50 into the first on a breakaway and then put one behind Dwayne Roloson in the shootout. Sid added an assist which helped him reach 400 career points in just 292 NHL games. Just a few years ago, he was the rookie everyone was watching so it’s entirely possible that this was a glimpse of what Tavares could be doing a couple seasons down the road.
“I was so happy for him,” linemate Kyle Okposo said. “There is so much pressure on him and he takes it with such a cool head.”
“When you come as the first draft pick, people expect a lot from you and they want you to change the game,” Penguins netminder, Marc-André Fleury said.
When asked about his impressions of Tavares, Crosby added: “I thought he played well. It’s going to get easier and easier. I played against him a bit and he looked pretty responsible out there. He’s got a nose for the net. He looked strong and he’s only going to get better.”
I’ve got a feeling that Crosby is going to be right – again.
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