You only get one chance at a first impression.
For defenceman Justin Holl, the old adage proved positive as the 26-year-old scored in his NHL debut on Wednesday night as the Toronto Maple Leafs cruised to a 5-0 victory over the New York Islanders at the Air Canada Centre.
Holl, a career minor leaguer who has been with the AHL's Toronto Marlies since 2015, was an emergency call-up after veterans Roman Polak (viral infection) and Ron Hainsey (illness) were both deemed unfit to play.
Justin Holl, wearing #3, will make his NHL debut tonight. #TMLtalk #BellLetsTalk
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) February 1, 2018
Not a prolific scorer even at the AHL level, Holl nonetheless made the most of his 16 minutes on the ice. With the game already decided at 4-0 early in the third period, Holl received the puck at centre ice and charged down the right side unabated before unleashing a wrist shot that evaded goaltender Thomas Greiss for the final goal of the contest.
It was his first and only shot of the game.
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Travis Dermott, Holl's teammate at the Marlies who was first promoted to the NHL squad earlier this month, also scored his first NHL goal in Wednesday's rout. The 21-year-old has become something of a fan favourite during his brief time with the Leafs, and his one-timer in the second period was met with a standing ovation from the appreciative Toronto crowd.
Kasperi Kapanen, who himself has spent most of the past three seasons with the Marlies while also doing short spells with the Leafs, opened the scoring at 5:37 of the first period. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner also chipped in with goals as the Leafs moved to 29-18-5 on the season.