The way Teuvo Teravainen was playing, he was bound to score his first NHL goal sooner or later. The Blackhawks rookie only wished it had come in a victory.
“Of course, it’s good to get the first one, and I’m happy with that,” Teravainen said after the Hawks’ 4-2 loss to Winnipeg on Friday night. “But I’m not happy we lost. We just couldn’t win this tight game.”
Teravainen scored from the slot with 7:17 left in the third period, pouncing on a loose puck after Michal Rozsival’s pass squirted between Patrick Kane’s legs, and firing it through traffic.
It capped what was clearly his best game in the NHL.
“He was around the puck a lot and he had a lot of good scoring chances,” Bryan Bickell said. “I knew eventually one of those pucks were going to go in. It was nice to see him score that one and get some confidence. He’s a great player. He’s got a lot of offensive ability.”
Teravainen said he’s getting “more comfortable every day here,” and Joel Quenneville said it’s been evident.
“He had some chances tonight, and I think three games in a row he had some good quality stuff, and he had the puck in some nice areas,” Quenneville said. “Nice to see him get the first one there. I think he’ll be better and more comfortable in the scoring areas, as well.”
Teravainen said it was a “nice feeling” when the puck went in.
“I’ve been waiting,” he said. “I think I had some chances last games, and I [got] it. So it’s good.”
Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com
Twitter: @marklazerus
