Toronto Maple Leafs forward Sammy Blais made an immediate impact in his debut with the team Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Appearing in his first NHL game since April 17, 2024, Blais was one of the lone bright spots on what was otherwise a dismal evening for the team as a whole. He collected two points, including his first NHL goal since October 19, 2023, when he was a member of the St. Louis Blues.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Blais said he felt good about making an impact in the NHL again after more than a year away.
“It felt good to be in the lineup,” he said. “I’ve been here for a while and it’s not easy not playing for such a long time. But I was looking forward to it and just enjoying it. First game in the NHL in a year or so, it felt really good. I’m really happy I played tonight and it went well. Pretty pumped.”
He assisted on Nick Robertson’s goal late in the third period, while the goal came early in the second period, during which he knocked the puck out of the air and made no mistake.
“I saw the puck in the air and kind of waited for it to go down,” he said. “I kind of put a stop to it. I was just lucky and I’m glad it went in.”
As for why things went wrong for his team that night, Blais stated that it came down to the Blue Jackets having far too many odd rushes to take advantage of, while the Leafs failed to convert their chances into garbage time. There is undoubtedly a lot of work that needs to be done as a collective to keep things under control on the defensive end, as rushing opportunities against them have been a major weakness for them so far.
Perhaps capitalizing on Blais’ physical prowess could be a way to help alleviate the problem, as it is an area of his game that he takes great pride in.
“It felt good,” he said of his physical play. “I felt like it took a while to get going in the first one. But then I kind of found the rhythm. Physical play has been part of my game for a while and I always will. I’m pretty happy with how it went.”
Sponsored by bet365
#Sammy #Blais #delighted #scoring #goal #Maple #Leaf #debut