Staten Islander Kevin Labanc admitted that a weight was lifted off of his shoulders when he tallied his first goal of the season on Tuesday night. Perhaps, he just needed some home cooking.
The eight-year NHL veteran returned home this past weekend while his San Jose Sharks took on the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders amid an east coast road trip.
His goal in the third period on Tuesday ignited a run of four unanswered scores as the Sharks (7-17-2) took down the Islanders by a 5-4 count in overtime at UBS Arena. Labanc had gone scoreless through his first 17 contests to begin the campaign.
“It’s been a long time coming. It feels good (to finally score),” Labanc told media after the game. “Hopefully, they come in bunches.”
“I have some family here,” he added. “It’s nice that they were here to watch me pop the first one in this season. It’s always fun to score when you’re out on the east coast.”
In 18 games, he now has one goal and three assists, though half of his four points have come in the last three games against the local NY/NJ teams.
The Sharks dropped a 6-5 decision to the Rangers on Sunday, but Labanc had an assist in that contest. San Jose previously upended the New Jersey Devils on Friday, 6-3, though he did not register a point in that one
Labanc, who will turn 28 next week, was a sixth round pick of the Sharks in 2014. He is the only Staten Islander ever selected in the NHL draft and signed a four-year contract in 2020 worth $18.9M.
He’ll be a free agent after the season. Who knows? Maybe he’ll wind up back in New York in the not so distant future.
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