Montreal Canadiens rookie Nick Suzuki scored Thursday for the first time in his NHL career.
At the end of a first period that had already seen Suzuki's teammate Victor Mete score his first-ever goal, defenseman Jeff Petry wound up a slapshot at Minnesota Wild goaltender Alex Stalock.
The blueliner's shot was deflected and streamed wide to the net's left side, where No. 14 sat, patiently waiting for an opportunity to score. Suzuki corralled the bouncing puck with his backhand and took advantage of the flailing Minnesota goalie by lifting a backhand shot into the net for his first-ever NHL goal.
🚨 NICK SUZUKI 1ST NHL GOAL!
— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) October 17, 2019
3-0 #Habs pic.twitter.com/Bq6dCrW8q2
The 20-year-old had previously recorded his first career point Oct. 9 against the Buffalo Sabres.
A London, Ont. native, Suzuki was originally drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights with the 15th overall pick in 2017. Montreal acquired Suzuki and forward Tomas Tatar in exchange for former team captain Max Pacioretty in Sep. 2018.