'It's A Bit Of A Blackout Moment'

ARLINGTON, VA – Matt Coronato won't have dress this one up.

No lying to the grandkids about how it all went down, or the emotions he felt when he saw the red lights aglow.

As youngsters, we grow up dreaming about scoring a goal on hockey's biggest stage. End to end. An overtime winner, perhaps. Whatever the moment, when it played out in the mind's eye, it was always as pretty as they come.

Well, imagine no more, kid.

Coronato is now an NHL goal-scorer – and in a way most could only imagine.

“It was awesome,” marvelled Andrew Mangiapane following Sunday’s practice in the American capital. “It was a great shot. Perfectly placed.

“Everyone on the bench was so happy for him. The first of many, right?”

Can’t disagree there.

The 20-year-old from Greenlawn, New York posted up at the right circle and smacked home a one-timer off a feed from Elias Lindholm, putting the Flames up 1-0 in a game that ultimately got away.

But that shot?

Sublime.

An absolute ripper that a found a sliver upstairs, buzzing the ear of the Penguins netminder and crushing the upper chamber of the cage, before he was mobbed by his teammates.

“It's always nice when your first one's a beauty,” laughed Blake Coleman, who tallied his first – a true work of art – about six years ago as a member of the Devils. “You could see how everyone was so excited for him. He does things the right way and it was really just a matter of time with him.

“He’s going to carry that memory with him for the rest of his life.”

Which is why, in between packing his bag and chatting with reporters, we quickly snapped a photo of Coronato posing with the treasured first puck. That the goal came in a loss understandably added heartbreak, but in the coming days – and even years down the road – he'll be happy the moment was captured.

“Growing up, you always think about scoring your first goal and how it's going to play out,” said Mangiapane, who nabbed his first cookie in February of 2019, dropping to one knee and tattooing a one-timer over then-Canuck Jacob Markstrom. “It's always as nice as you can dream it up – a toe-drag here, a toe-drag there, maybe a breakaway or something special like that. 

“Matty’s is definitely up there.

“The Flames do it extremely well where they give us a nice plaque with the puck and the game sheet on it as well, so it's awesome piece to have with you. A great memory, for sure.

“In the end, I don’t think it matters how you get it, because that feeling is going to be amazing no matter what.”

Of course, none of Mangiapane, Coleman or Coronato have to worry about their indelible moments being downplayed. They actually got to live out their childhood fantasies with a strike so pretty, it’s hard to fathom how it all unfolded. 

“It's a bit of a blackout moment,” laughed Coleman, who intercepted a pass, broke in alone from the hash marks and went bar-down secure the milestone. “I’ll never forget it how special it was. It was against my hometown team with Dallas in town. Just picked off a pass and put it over Kari (Lehtonen), which was a little ironic because I skated with all those guys in the summer. I'd scored a couple in practice on Kari but never thought I'd get score one like that in the big leagues. 

“I think anytime you score your first goal in the league, you kind of forget you are where you are. 

“I hope that’s what Matty was feeling last night, because it truly is an incredible accomplishment.

“I still have the plaque and the video in the house. It's a memory that lasts forever and now Matty’s going to have that, too.”