Tuesday night was a milestone night for Toronto Maple Leafs’ rookie Easton Cowan, who prepared for his second career NHL game. The 20-year-old made his NHL debut on Monday in a losing effort against the Detroit Red Wings, but earned high praise for his head coach and teammates.
In Tuesday’s win over the Nashville Predators, Cowan doubled down on his solid effort, playing just over 14 minutes across 17 shifts and recording his first career NHL point – assisting on Auston Matthews’ goal in the second period.
The assist was a secondary helper in the neutral zone that sent Matthew Knies and Matthews into a strange rush that resulted in Matthews’ second goal of the season.
As for Cowan, he again received high praise from his bench boss after his second career game and first point.
“He’s a dog on a bone out there.” said Craig Berube about the rookie’s play. “He’s chasing everything, getting pucks back and stripping people. He’s been playing well. He played well again tonight. On back-to-back nights, I wasn’t sure, but I thought he had another good night. It was good to see.”
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With Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz still out of the lineup, Cowan has received consistent minutes over the past two games and has benefited from being promoted to the big club’s starting lineup. If he can continue to see the time, he should continue to produce for the Maple Leafs, who look to take on the New York Rangers in their next outing on Thursday night, with Cowan eager to get back to work.
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