BOSTON – Andrew Copp gave a quick nod when asked in passing if he actually called the bank shot that led to the first NHL goal of Nic Petan's career.

Whether it was planned or not, it turned into a magical moment for Petan, who found the back of the net in his NHL debut after Copp, a fellow rookie, caromed a shot off his skate at 9:51 of the third period of the Winnipeg Jets 6-2 victory over the Boston Bruins.

Petan was grinning from ear to ear when asked about what it meant to have friends and family members in the seats at TD Garden to share in the special moment.

“For sure,” said Petan. “I think it hit the back of my skate. I'm pretty sure, but I don't know for sure. I'll take it. (Copp) just threw it in there. I just tried to plant my feet and hoped it went off my skate, and it did.

“Throughout the day, I had a little bit of nerves but as I came to the rink, I calmed down. It's something I'll remember for a long time.”

Petan wasn't the only one excited about the magnitude of the achievement.

“It's a pretty special moment to score in your first game,” said Jets captain Andrew Ladd. “I don't know if it was the prettiest goal he ever scored, but they all count. All our young guys had great games and did a lot of good things. I'm excited to see them improve as we go along here.”

Nikolaj Ehlers also made his debut for the Jets on Thursday and while he didn't record a point, he had five shots on goal.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice was quick to give his stamp of approval.

“(Petan) will remember that one (as) coast to coast by the time he has his own kids,” said Maurice. “I liked both of their games. They certainly didn’t lack confidence when they had the puck... they tried some things and I’m going to have to try to squeeze some of that out of them, but leave a lot of it. “That’s what they do. They make good plays, they’re good with the puck and we want them to explore that creativity and learn the right the time to do it.”

ken.wiebe@sunmedia.ca

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