- Jack St. Ivany scores his first NHL goal in his 62nd game
- The shot took a wild bounce off the ice and over Akira Schmid’s shoulder
- Read below for what St. Ivany and Spencer Carbery said about the goal
Jack St. Ivany finally has his first NHL goal, and it came in the most unlikely way.
The Capitals defenseman picked off a clearing attempt by Panthers goaltender Akira Schmid early in the first period Saturday and flung a shot toward the net. The puck hit the ice, hopped and sailed over Schmid’s left shoulder into the top corner. It was St. Ivany’s first goal in 62 career games and his fifth outing with Washington.
Watch the bounce:
St. Ivany was asked about the goal after the game and admitted he had never seen a bounce like that in front of him.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had one bounce in front of me and go top corner before, but I’ll take it,” St. Ivany said. “(I’m) really happy, a little bit of relief. It’s been a lot of games for me in the NHL before I scored a goal.”
He had played 57 games with the Penguins and Jets before this season and collected nine assists without a goal.
The celebration cooled off quickly. St. Ivany stayed on the ice after scoring, and the Panthers tied it on the next shift.
“So it was a little subdued coming back to the bench,” St. Ivany said. The Capitals did go on to win 4-3, which we broke down in our recap of the Panthers game.
Head coach Spencer Carbery presented him with the milestone puck in the locker room, and the Capitals shared the photo:
Carbery talked about what kind of player St. Ivany has been since he arrived.
“He’s just been rock solid for us,” Carbery said. “In each of the games that he’s played, he’s played exactly the type of hockey that we need from him and to his identity.”
Washington claimed the 27-year-old off waivers from Winnipeg in late October. He went straight into the lineup because Vincent Desharnais (appendectomy) and Rasmus Sandin (ACL surgery) are both out, and he has five points (one goal, four assists) in five games. He has been paired with rookie Cole Hutson.
Pierre-Luc Dubois explained how St. Ivany has fit in so quickly.
“I think he’s done a phenomenal job of just moving the puck, making the simple play when it’s there,” Dubois said. “And every once in a while, the big play is there, and he makes that too.”
St. Ivany finished the night with 13:50 of ice time, two shots, three blocked shots and a hit, plus a puck he will keep forever.
