It isn't every day you see an Australian in the NHL.
In fact, before Nathan Walker made his league debut on Oct. 7, 2017, there had never been an Australian player in the NHL's history. And on Monday, after having featured in nine regular season contests for the Washington Capitals and Edmonton Oilers, Walker again blazed a trail for his countrymen by becoming the first Australian to take the ice in an NHL playoff game.
Nathan Walker, already the first Australian to play in the NHL, will become the first Australian to play in the NHL playoffs tonight. pic.twitter.com/NCKRhXVeP4
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) May 7, 2018
Walker logged 8:29 on Washington's fourth line on Monday as the Capitals clinched their second-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. As he did in his regular season debut, Walker had a direct impact on the game as he assisted early in the second period on Alex Chiasson's opener.
The 24-year-old split time between the Capitals, with whom he made his NHL debut, and the Oilers during the 2017-18 campaign. He also played 40 games with the AHL's Hershey Bears, scoring nine goals and notching 13 assists.