Mission's Gage Goncalves scored his first NHL playoff goal on Wednesday (April 30) in a 6-3 loss to the Florida Panthers that ended the Tampa Bay Lightning's season.
Goncalves opened the scoring in game five with the Lightning trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. After a deflection, Goncalves found himself with the puck on the doorstep and buried it in the back of the net to provide Tampa with the 1-0 lead.
However, the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers stormed back and broke a 3-3 tie late in the second period, adding two more in the third to clinch the series win.
The Tampa Bay forward had a strong start to his playoff career, tallying four points in the series and averaging roughly 17 minutes of ice time. He had an assist in game one and a two-assist performance in game three in Miami.
Goncalves was tied for second among Tampa's playoff points leaders with Nikita Kucherov.
Prior to his playoff debut, Goncalves was interviewed by Lightning staff and said it was a childhood dream to suit up for the playoffs.
"Obviously, getting a chance to play for the Stanley Cup is pretty cool. And, yeah, I don't think it's hit me just yet 鈥� probably when it's over, when I'm looking back on it," he said.
After making his NHL debut last season, Goncalves suited up for 60 games in the 2024/2025 campaign. During the regular season, Goncalves tallied 20 points off eight goals and 12 assists, including his first NHL goal against St. Louis in December.
Goncalves finished the regular season strong, scoring a pair of goals against Detroit on April 11 before notching a pair of helpers against the Buffalo Sabres on April 13. The Mission product closed the season by earning career-highs in ice time against Florida and the New York Rangers.
Goncalves previously played for the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL, Everett Silvertips in the WHL and Yale Secondary in Abbotsford.
Tampa Bay selected the six-foot, 181-pound centre in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
