Ryan Reaves Tallies First NHL Goal

Last night wasn’t pretty. The first and third periods are ones the Blues should mostly put behind them and learn from. However, there was one bright spot worth writing a new post about: Ryan Reaves chipping in his first NHL goal.

On the wrong end of a pretty wild 7-4 loss, Ryan Reaves was the main good story as he found the back of the net for his very first goal in the NHL. Known more for his bruising and ability to drop the gloves, Reaves was expected to come in and add some muscle into the lineup while Cam Janssen received a night off.

Through three games at the professional level, Reaves has one goal and 17 penalty minutes. His offense really shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise as he has also chipped in four goals and five assists through 33 games with the team’s AHL affiliate.

Reaves could have a very bright future ahead of him considering his ability to dominate the physical game while not being completely helpless in other assets – a trait usually ignored by other enforcers around the league.

From an enforcer point of view, Reaves is not a slacker. Through his first three years in the AHL, Reaves amassed 343 penalty minutes through just 164 games. He also is quite the specimen, standing six feet, two inches tall and weighing 220 pounds. These numbers will vary depending on your source, but either way, Reaves is one tough  and imposing customer.

The attention may have been centered on Philip McRae last night or on the Blues dismal display in the third, but you shouldn’t ignore Reaves’ hard work and celebrate his first goal in the NHL.