The first period saw a pair of firsts for the Boston Bruins on Monday night against the Dallas Stars.
Boston Bruins rookie center John Beecher and rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei each scored their first NHL goals in the first period to put the Bruins up 2-0 in the first intermission.
In what was a great shift by him and linemates Danton Heinen and Oskar Steen, Beecher took a end board feed from Steen, curved, and rifled home the milestone goal to put the Boston Bruins up 1-0 at 10:21 of the first period.
“I was kind of looking to just go low-to-high there, and then their wingers just kept cutting it off, so I figured, just kind of try and attack the middle as best I could and then just snap one off quick before they got a stick on it so it worked out,” the 22-year-old Beecher told NESN rinkside reporter and studio host Sophia Jurksztowicz in the first intermission.
Jurksztowicz then asked Beecher if that was how he imagined his first NHL goal.
“Probably a bit more greasier than that,” he replied with a chuckle. “It’s one of the better goals I’ve ever scored. It’s so special to get the first one, and now just gotta kind of take care of the next 40 minutes and get the job done.”
The former University of Michigan star and the 30th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft now has a goal and an assist in 12 NHL games.
Just 3:48 later in the opening frame, Mason Lohrei found the twine for the first time in his NHL career. After starting the play from the blue line, Lohrei, also 22 years old, took a feed from Heinen in the slot and buried it past former Boston University and current Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger for a 2-0 Bruins lead.
The 2020 second round (58th overall) pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft now has a goal and an assist in three NHL games.
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