It's not that Ville Koivunen was squeezing his stick to sawdust.
Nope, it's that he'd passed that phase forever ago. And maybe only 50 sticks ago.
"Yeah, he's feelin' it a little," Rutger McGroarty, linemate and fellow rookie, had been sharing with me Thursday morning. "But I'll tell you what: When he gets one, they'll come."
A few hours later, that one came:
At 6:12 of the opening period here at Benchmark International Arena, Koivunen, appearing in his 24th NHL game, his 16th this season, whipped that wrister through a quality screen by Anthony Mantha, then through Tampa Bay goaltender Jonah Johansson, as the icebreaker of the Penguins' eventual 4-3 victory.
Got to keep the puck and everything:
PENGUINS
“It’s been coming, you know?" Dan Muse would say afterward with a broad smile. "You knew it was a matter of time. I mean, he's had so many chances. He's had some really good looks, put himself in good areas. But I think that's a huge weight off of his shoulders. And I think this will also allow him just to focus on playing, and you're not thinking about, 'When am I gonna get the first one?' Like, it's done. You got it. And now, keep putting yourself in areas there where you're going to get the types of chances he's been getting.”
Yep. So I had to ask the kid himself:
"It was more relief," he'd reply when I asked for his initial reaction. "It felt really good. I've been waiting a pretty long time now, so it was a nice moment." Of the shot, he'd add, "I just tried to shoot back door and high. I just tried to shoot there."
THE ASYLUM
Koivunen expresses 'relief' after first NHL goal
It's not that Ville Koivunen was squeezing his stick to sawdust.
Nope, it's that he'd passed that phase forever ago. And maybe only 50 sticks ago.
"Yeah, he's feelin' it a little," Rutger McGroarty, linemate and fellow rookie, had been sharing with me Thursday morning. "But I'll tell you what: When he gets one, they'll come."
A few hours later, that one came:
At 6:12 of the opening period here at Benchmark International Arena, Koivunen, appearing in his 24th NHL game, his 16th this season, whipped that wrister through a quality screen by Anthony Mantha, then through Tampa Bay goaltender Jonah Johansson, as the icebreaker of the Penguins' eventual 4-3 victory.
Got to keep the puck and everything:
PENGUINS
“It’s been coming, you know?" Dan Muse would say afterward with a broad smile. "You knew it was a matter of time. I mean, he's had so many chances. He's had some really good looks, put himself in good areas. But I think that's a huge weight off of his shoulders. And I think this will also allow him just to focus on playing, and you're not thinking about, 'When am I gonna get the first one?' Like, it's done. You got it. And now, keep putting yourself in areas there where you're going to get the types of chances he's been getting.”
Yep. So I had to ask the kid himself:
"It was more relief," he'd reply when I asked for his initial reaction. "It felt really good. I've been waiting a pretty long time now, so it was a nice moment." Of the shot, he'd add, "I just tried to shoot back door and high. I just tried to shoot there."
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