It was Smith's first regular-season goal since Apr. 24, 2022.
It was Smith's first regular-season goal since Apr. 24, 2022.
"Now, out of the box is Brendan Smith on the breakaway. He dekes. He shoots. He scores! His first Devils goal! 5-1."
On Friday night, New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith scored his first regular-season goal since April 24, 2022.
"Nico (Hischier) made the play, and then I kind of blacked out," Smith said with a smile. "It's great when it ends up in the back of the net (and) it's been a long time coming. Normally, your first doesn't come in your second year, but for me, I'm excited about it. You always remember your first with a club."
His teammates swarmed Smith as he skated over to the bench after his goal. The expressions on the faces of Jack Hughes, Nate Bastian, and Ondrej Palat will tell one everything they need to know about how much Smith is valued in New Jersey's locker room.
"I mean (he) is such a hard-working guy that means so much to the team when it comes to practice, the locker room and games," Jesper Bratt said. "Obviously, was great seeing that and a lot of happiness and joy for the rest of the team."
"It was really nice. I was very impressed with it," Bratt continued. "(I) might have to steal that move."
"It was so exciting to have them support me so much, especially after the game in the room. They were just as happy as I was," Smith grinned. "It just shows you how great they are and how much they mean to me, and it just goes full circle. It just says a lot about them."
Head coach Lindy Ruff joked after the game that Smith moved up the shootout ladder and is probably somewhere in the top three.
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