NHL Note - Florida Panthers McCoshen, Ian

Oct 13, 2017 - 7:27 AM D Ian McCoshen scored his first NHL goal in Thursday's 5-2 victory over St. Louis. "I'm pretty much in disbelief," said the rookie McCoshen, a 22-year-old native of Anaheim, Calif., who played at Boston College. "I just tried to throw the puck on the net. It's surreal scoring your first NHL goal." Panthers coach Bob Boughner, a former NHL defenseman, said McCoshen is off to a solid start overall. "I'm happy for the kid," Boughner said. "He's playing well -- and not just the goal. He's playing really well defensively. He's doing a lot of nice things, and it's nice to see him get rewarded." McCoshen, though, wants to make sure he stays on task. "I'm trying not to get complacent with this opportunity," he said. "I want to stay and make an impact here. I want to win." McCoshen's goal came from the top of the left circle. "I'm not known for my offense," said McCoshen, who was wearing the All-Blacks New Zealand rugby shirt that apparently will be given to the Panthers' player of the game after each victory this season. "But it's always nice to contribute when I can. "We wanted the momentum on our side, and the timing was picture perfect."