Tuesday night was a milestone night for Toronto Maple Leafs’ rookie Easton Cowan who was suiting up in his second career NHL game. The 20-year-old made his NHL debut on Monday in a losing effort against the Detroit Red Wings, but received a lot of praise for his head coach and teammates.
In the win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, Cowan doubled up on his solid effort playing just over 14 minutes over 17 shifts and recording his first career NHL point – assisting on Auston Matthews‘ second period goal.
The assist was a secondary helper in the neutral zone that sent Matthew Knies and Matthews in on an odd-man rush that resulted in Matthews’ second goal of the season.
As for Cowan, he once again received high praise from his bench boss following his second career game and first point.
“He is a dog on a bone out there,” said Craig Berube regarding the rookie’s play. “He hounds everything, gets pucks back, and strips people. He’s played well. He played well again tonight. On back-to-back nights, I wasn’t sure, but I thought he had another good night. It was good to see.”
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With Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz still out the lineup, Cowan has received consistent minutes the past two games and he’s benefitted from the promotion to the big club’s starting lineup. If he can continue to see time, he should continue to produce for the Maple Leafs who look to take on the New York Rangers in their next appearance on Thursday night, with Cowan itching to get going again.
