First Career Goal a Game-Winner For Former Peterborough Pete
/Former Peterborough Pete Akil Thomas’s first NHL goal was the game-winner for the Los Angeles Kings in a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center on Thursday night.
It was Thomas’s second game in the NHL with the Kings after making his debut against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night.
His goal came just over halfway through the first period. After winger Adrian Kempe scored for the Kings, Thomas scored 18 seconds later.
He joined teammates Pierre-Luc Dubois and Jordan Spence on the rush as they entered the offensive zone. After Spence left a drop pass for Thomas, the latter used the former and a Sharks defenceman as a screen to snap the puck past Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, making it 2-0 for the Kings.
“It felt amazing,” said Thomas. “I just wanted to have a good first (period) and to score in the first period just made the nerves go away. It just made me feel a little bit more comfortable.”
The Sharks scored late in the third period with 1:52 left in the game to make it 2-1 but could not score again. That made Thomas’s goal the game-winner for the Kings.
AKIL THOMAS!!! FIRST NHL GOAL!! 👑
— NHL (@NHL) April 5, 2024
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