Habs rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi rips home first two NHL goals

No matter how hard he tried early in the 2018-19 campaign, 18-year-old Jesperi Kotkaniemi just couldn’t seem to buy a goal. He had 17 shots through his first 11 games, but no twine ticklers to his name.

The third overall pick in the 2018 Entry Draft ripped a beautiful one-timer into the back of the net against the New Jersey Devils in the preseason, but regular season scoring success has been much harder to come by for the young Finn.

But, just 2:28 into the 12th contest of his NHL career, Kotkaniemi finally broke his drought against the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

It started with the Canadiens crossing into the Capitals zone with possession and numbers. Skating down the left wing and separated from Washington’s defenders, Kotkaniemi called for the puck with a tap of his stick before Joel Armia set up the rookie who fired a quick shot past Braden Holtby to give Montreal the early 1-0 advantage.

The taste of scoring in the NHL just wasn’t enough for him, though. He wanted more.

With Montreal down 4-3 late in the third period, Kotkaniemi was able to shovel a loose puck over Holtby and between the pipes to tie things up once again.

His second of the night set up a wild finish as Max Domi scored the eventual winner with only 22 seconds remaining in the frame and the Canadiens re-wrote the NHL history books after that.

Kotkaniemi, a native of Pori, Finland, now has two goals and four helpers in 12 games this season.

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