In his second-career game, Los Angeles Kings rookie forward Akil Thomas scored his first-career goal. His goal came 11:13 into the first period with the Kings already leading the San Jose Sharks 1-0. Jordan Spence and Pierre-Luc Dubois assisted Thomas’ first NHL scoring milestone.
Following the goal, Thomas received a bear hug from Spence as the rest of his teammates on the ice raced over to celebrate. This goal marks a few firsts for Thomas. His first goal was also his first career NHL point. It was also the first shot he took in the NHL. It’s not very often you get to say you’ve scored on 100% of the shots you have taken in your career.
As a matter of fact, Thomas is in good historic company by scoring on his first career shot. Some notable players to achieve this include Mario Lemieux, Nikita Kucherov and Jonathan Toews.
This moment to remember also came at a time when his team needed him to come up in the clutch. Thomas’ added scoring production comes at a time when the Kings look to lock down a playoff spot. They currently hold the second wild card spot with 89 points on the season and lead the St. Louis Blues by five points in the standings.