Elias Lindholm didn’t have to wait too long before he scored his first NHL goal.
In an eventual 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals, the 18-year-old forward got Carolina on the board in the second period with a shot that appeared to deflect off two Washington players before just barely getting past goaltender Braden Holtby.
You can view that goal below:
Lindholm was playing in just his fourth NHL game after being selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. We’ve been spoiled by rookies lately between Tomas Hertl and Sean Monahan’s early heroics, but it’s a long season and Lindholm shouldn’t be overlooked.
Like Hertl, Lindholm is attempting to make the transition to the NHL straight from a European league. In Lindholm’s case, he scored 11 goals and 30 points in 48 games in Sweden before joining the Hurricanes.