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One of the beauties of watching early NHL preseason games is seeing some of the guys who are likely to be assigned to the AHL working hard to make a splash and make a name for themselves.
2016-17 Boston College captain Ryan Fitzgerald did just that last night, scoring a goal in his first career preseason outing for the Boston Bruins. Fitzgerald earned considerable ice time throughout the night and was named the #2 star of the game.
Ryan Fitzgerald just scored for the Bruins!!!! @BCHockey pic.twitter.com/0RaEcNssae
— Joe Gravellese (@joegrav) September 20, 2017
Fitzgerald started the night on the fourth line, playing alongside Sean Kuraly and Jordan Szwarz. But he did have several shifts with more prominent players, including two straight in the second period flanking David Krejci.
On one of those shifts, Fitzgerald hit the back of the net. In GIF mode:
Ahhhh the Red Wings defense pic.twitter.com/8Pw6NQmYIF
— Prashanth Iyer (@iyer_prashanth) September 20, 2017
And the #2 star:
No. 2 ⭐️ @RTF_19 pic.twitter.com/QHMyyFS8IW
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 20, 2017
With only a handful of AHL games under his belt after turning pro in March, Fitzgerald is considered a longshot for NHL time and will likely be heading to Providence Bruins camp once it opens. But he certainly made an impression on his bosses Tuesday night.
Congrats, Ryan - keep after it!