What Nashville Predators are saying about Cole Smith's first NHL goal
Puck in hand, Cole Smith struck a pose in the Nashville Predators dressing room Saturday night.
He was holding personal history in his hand, the puck used to score his first NHL goal.
The score was a long time coming. Smith, who is tied among forwards for the eighth-longest streak of games without a goal to begin a career, finally broke through in Game 49.
His deflection caused an eruption on the home team's bench during what turned out to be a 5-3 victory.
"That might mean more than anything, just the close-knit of this team," Smith said.
"It's definitely in the back of your mind a little bit," he added of his drought. "But when the game comes I don't want to focus on it."
Here's what the Predators had to say about Cole's goal.
Cole Smith
"It's super exciting. It's a little past overdue. But finally get that one to kind of get the monkey off the back and hopefully the floodgates open up a little bit."
Head coach John Hynes
"It's long overdue for Cole. He's had tons of scoring chances. ... The big thing I take away from it is if you look at the reaction on the bench. ... When a guy like that scores and you get the reaction from the team, that shows how much value (he has), how well liked he is, how respected he is."
Defenseman Roman Josi
"Your first goal is so special in the NHL. He's had a lot of bad puck luck. He's had so many chances; we knew eventually it's going to go in. ... He's a selfless guy. He's worked so hard. Every game he hits, he fights, he does all the right things. For him to get rewarded finally, it's huge for him. The whole team is really excited for him."
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Forward Ryan Johansen
"He would never admit it but you know you're thinking about that. When he goes home I'm sure it's crossed his mind that he hasn't been able to find the net. We know what he means to us and how important he is to our group, so we're pumped. I'm sure if you saw the bench's reaction, we're super happy for him."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators react to Cole Smith's first NHL goal
