Penguins get boost with Owen Pickering's 1st career NHL goal

Owen Pickering was a distant 61 feet away from the net when he fired a first-period wrister at Florida Panthers netminder Spencer Knight on Tuesday night.

Oftentimes, lower-velocity, longer-range shots such as Pickering’s find the back of the net on deflections.

But Pickering’s shot required no such assistance.

With 10 minutes, 40 seconds remaining in the opening period of a 5-4 overtime win by the Penguins, the shot went in for Pickering’s first career NHL goal.

Granted, the 20-year-old rookie did have winger Michael Bunting to thank for screening Knight and obstructing the netminder’s line of sight.

“I just kind of put it on net,” Pickering said. “I thought it might hit (Bunting), but then he kind of pointed at me. Obviously, it’s something you dream of from the time you’re 3. To be able to have that and to be able to get the win at the end of the night is pretty cool.”

Pickering’s special moment was in major danger of being spoiled later in the third period, as the Penguins blew a 4-1 lead before limping to overtime.

But Bryan Rust beat Knight with a wrister about 90 seconds into the extra period, handing the Penguins their fourth straight win and Pickering a lasting memory from his sixth NHL game.

“It was his dream to get here, and now he’s here,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “To score your first goal, I think if you asked any player that played in the NHL that scored a goal, they’ll never forget their first one. I’m sure he’ll never forget this one. It was a big goal for us. It helped us get a little bit of momentum.”

Regarding the puck itself, which Pickering had displayed postgame on his locker room cubby shelf, there are no major plans.

Pickering simply intends to place it next to another puck he’s had for a few years commemorating his first Western Hockey League fight back in 2021 with the Swift Current Broncos, “which was a big moment for me, by the way,” he quipped. “I won that fight too.”

Pickering’s goal ultimately loomed large in the Penguins’ narrow victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers, with Blake Lizotte logging the sole assist.

Hustling to the corner in the offensive zone to battle Florida’s Anton Lundell for the puck, Lizotte’s successful forecheck sent it to the point, where Pickering was stationed.

The 6-foot-5 left-handed shot, the Penguins’ first-round selection (No. 21 overall) in the 2022 draft, then wasted little time before firing off a wrister.

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“Obviously, guys at this level are good about taking away lanes, so (I was) just kind of getting it there,” Pickering said. “You see a lot of good things happen throughout the league when guys put pucks on net. I was lucky enough I got one.”

Pickering’s goal Tuesday was his second as a professional.

Starting the year with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, Pickering scored pro goal No. 1 in his 12th and final game with the club Nov. 13 before Pittsburgh recalled him two days later.

Pickering contributing goals, in addition to youthful enthusiasm, during the Penguins’ ongoing season-best four-game win streak is something his teammates enjoy soaking in.

“He loves being here,” Rust said. “It’s cool to watch. All these young guys, it’s fun to see them come up here. They’re so excited to be here. Him coming through the line (for congratulatory fist bumps after scoring) with I think one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen on anybody is pretty cool. You could tell he was super excited.

“He’s been really good for us. Hopefully, he can keep helping us win games.”