Ex-Oilers fan favourite Jesse Puljujarvi scores first goal with Penguins
Former Edmonton Oilers fan favourite Jesse Puljujarvi is back to scoring goals in the NHL.
The big Finn recorded his first goal of the season with the Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday, helping them defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets by a score of 5-3.
It was Puljujarvi’s first goal in the NHL since he was traded from the Oilers over a year ago in the lead-up to last season’s trade deadline. He went scoreless in the back half of that season with the Carolina Hurricanes and has only appeared in nine games with the Penguins this season after signing a two-year deal with the club in December.
PULJUJARVI WITH HIS FIRST AS A PENGUIN! š§ pic.twitter.com/ruduEIakN7
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 6, 2024
Puljujarvi snuck behind the Blue Jackets’ defence and was fed a fantastic pass from Ryan Graves to spring a short-range break. Though the 25-year-old has had a lot of trouble finishing on his scoring chances over the last year, he didn’t make any mistake here, beating Columbus’ Jet Greaves to open the scoring.
Oilers fans should be happy to see Puljujarvi finally finding something to cheer about. It’s been a tough go for the former fourth-overall pick. He couldn’t quite live up to his high expectations in the Alberta capital with low production numbers despite some sparkling underlying analytics.
To add to that, Puljujarvi has now gone through two extensive surgeries to repair his hips, with the latest coming over the summer, which delayed his return to the NHL.
Through all those shortcomings, it seemed like the Finn always found a reason to keep a smile. He endeared himself to the people of Edmonton through his love of pizza, earning the nickname “Bison King” after he posted a photo of himself gleefully posing with a bison in the nearby Elk Island National Park.
While Oilers fans will probably not want to see him score against the team on Sunday, Puljujarvi will surely have at least some Edmonton fans rooting for him in the games that don’t affect the Oilers’ race to the division crown.
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