Two Simple Ways to Score More Goals: Avery Hayes Debut
Learning From Pittsburgh Penguins Rookie Avery Hayes - Sniffing & Win the Race off the wall
Avery Hayes was an undrafted signing by the Pittsburgh Penguins. After two years in the minors, he had his NHL debut on Feb 5, 2026, vs the Buffalo Sabres.
The result… his first two shots turned into two goals! Both were nice, relatable goals that anyone can score, not the highlight/flashy goals you’ll see players try to emulate from NHL superstars.
Goal #1 - Sniffing For Offense
The play started with a defensive zone (DZ) faceoff for the Pittsburgh Penguins. With the puck back to the corner, the defenseman does his best to shovel the puck up the strong side with a punt out of his DZ.
Avery Hayes (AH85) is already starting to move up ice into the expected path of where the puck will be going. He’s able to burst once the puck exits the DZ and is able to take advantage of the Sabres defenseman’s slow pivot.
As AH85 bursts in, he gains body positioning on the opponent and protects the puck by sticking out his arm. He cuts across the opponent to cut off his hands and finishes low blocker for his first NHL goal… awesome!
Goal #2 - Win the Race Off the Wall
AH85 picks up the puck and navigates the neutral zone (NZ) before dumping the puck into a space that he races toward. AH85 initiates contact (a good way to “play big.”) and establishes body positioning. The puck hits the opponent’s skate and starts a scrum. As the puck pops out, he challenges Buffalo’s Tage Thompson, which throws off his ability to make a clean play, and thus, the puck is thrown up the wall. AH85 finishes with a bump.
The Penguins defender gets the puck deep, and AH85 is quicker off the wall to win the race off the wall to gain inside positioning. The opponent he bumped is slow to reach and scrambles desperately once he realizes the threat… It’s too late, and AH85 releases a quick one-timer. He doesn’t just one-time the puck… he drops to one knee to drive the puck to the back of the net.
Mic’d Up Avery Hayes
Fortunately for us, he was Mic’d up for his debut… really cool.
Congrats to Avery on a great first game and battle to make the NHL! For us, his habits shown during his goals are pathways to repeatable offense.
Further Reading