SAN JOSE – The wait is over for San Jose Sharks rookie center Will Smith.
After going without a point in his first eight games with the Sharks, Smith scored his first NHL goal at the 6:52 mark of the first period of Thursday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Stationed near the faceoff dot to the right of the Blackhawks net, Smith took a pass from linemate Luke Kunin and quickly fired it past goalie Petr Mrazek to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead.
The 19-year-old Smith was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and led all NCAA Division I players last season with 71 points in 41 games. This season, before Thursday, Smith had averaged 13:34 in ice time per game with 11 shots on net.
The Blackhawks responded with two goals in the next 1:37 to take a 2-1 lead.
Former Shark forward Ryan Donato scored his sixth goal of the season at the 7:29 mark, and Tyler Bertuzzi gave the Blackhawks the lead just 50 seconds later.
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Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment