The Chicago Blackhawks, in the middle of getting completely outplayed by the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, had one ray of sunshine show up in the second period.
After going down 5-1 in the first period, the Blackhawks started to show some life. Colton Dach made it 5-2 before something special happened.
Ethan Del Mastro scored his first career NHL goal and it was a beauty. Ryan Donato made a great pass to Del Mastro and he walked in alone to take a good shot. He ripped it past Ilya Samsonov for his first.
B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) on X KEEP THAT PUCK First NHL goal for Ethan Del Mastro 🚨
Despite the outcome of this game, a rebuilding Blackhawks team playing poorly against a Stanley Cup-contending Golden Knights team, this will always be special for Del Mastro and his family. You never forget your first.
Going forward, there isn’t a reason to stop giving Del Mastro a look in the NHL lineup. Based on his confidence to walk in and take this kind of shot, it seems like he feels good about his offensive game and has more to learn on the defensive side of the puck. With no pressure to win games, now is the time to let him grow.
As a defenseman, he won’t score at the rate of a superstar forward but a shot like that should allow him to contribute here and there if he is set up with great scoring chances. Now that he has his first, the door is open for him to just play his game the right way. Good things will come if he does just that.
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