Neither Ian Mitchell nor Nicolas Beaudin had scored a goal through the first month of the 2021 NHL season.
That changed in a 56-second span of the second period against the Blue Jackets on Thursday, when both rookie defensemen tallied their first career goals.
Both players had been noticeable during the early stages of their NHL careers but Mitchell finally got on the scoresheet thanks to a brilliant play from David Kampf, who earned the primary assist on the goal. Kampf skated into the offensive zone and held the puck for several seconds. Meanwhile, Mitchell found an open spot right next to Columbus goalie Joonas Korpisalo. Once a passing lane opened, Kampf fed Mitchell for the easy tap-in goal.
🚨 Ian Mitchell scored his first career NHL goal.
🍎 David Kampf
🍏 Matthew Highmore#Blackhawks 1, #CBJ 1 pic.twitter.com/DyE97qiU5p— Brandon Cain (@brandonmcain) February 12, 2021
Not even a full minute later, Beaudin had his moment.
Nikita Zadorov fired a one-time from the high slot that went wide of the net, but the rebound bounced back in front of the Blue Jackets net and Beaudin was the only player in the vicinity. He quickly fired the puck past Korpisalo for his first NHL goal, giving Chicago a 2-1 lead.
🚨 Nicolas Beaudin scored his first NHL career goal.
🍎 Nikita Zadorov
🍏 Alex DeBrincat#Blackhawks 2, #CBJ 1 pic.twitter.com/Dy6264pPoE— Brandon Cain (@brandonmcain) February 12, 2021
Both players had just one NHL point before those goals, with Mitchell earning that one assist in 14 games while Beaudin had one in 6 games. Mitchell didn’t make his NHL debut until the 2021 season, while Beaudin played in the final game of the ‘19-20 regular season.