It wasn’t the night any San Jose Sharks player wanted as they fell to the New York Rangers 6-1 on Saturday, but Cam Lund got a memory of a lifetime.
The 2022 second-round pick netted his first NHL goal late in the third period to end Jonathan Quick’s shutout bid.
“It was a great feeling to get the first one. I’m really happy,” Lund said. “[The puck is] gonna go to my parents. My dad has a whole collection in his basement, so I’m sure he’ll put it down there.”
The Sharks broadcast captured his mother’s reaction, which will be unforgettable.
During the postgame scrum, Lund walked reporters through the sequence of his goal.
“It was on a power play, and [Collin Graf] just cut across the middle,” Lund said. “I think the defender poked it and then ended up right on my stick, and I just shot it.”
The rookie, who was signed from Northeastern, made his NHL debut on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. As expected, Lund made a few more plays in his second game for the San Jose Sharks.
“He did some good things. [He’s a smart player]. It’s going to come down to the pace of the game. He’s got to stay with the pace,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said postgame. “That’s a good team over there, obviously fighting for their lives. We knew they were going to come out fast, and I think our guys got surprised by that.”
Lund and the Sharks were trounced by some of the NHL’s best in Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox. Both Rangers stars had two goals in the game.
Quick turnaround for the Sharks
There won’t be any time to rest as the San Jose Sharks play again on Sunday, visiting the Los Angeles Kings.
The lineup could be tweaked, as San Jose lost another defenseman to injury in Jimmy Schuldt. Schuldt left the game in the third period with 8:42 remaining. Warsofsky did not have an update postgame.
Veteran defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic could return to the Sharks lineup after missing the past four games with an upper-body injury that has nagged him the entire season.
Henry Thrun resumed skating on Friday but is still considered day-to-day. Vincent Desharnais will miss Sunday’s game with an upper-body injury that he played through against the Boston Bruins.
Klim Kostin was also benched for nearly the final 16 minutes of the second period. Warsofsky said postgame, “Just not good enough.”
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