Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna gave an honest assessment of his performance in his NHL debut Tuesday.
"Not great," McKenna told reporters following Toronto's 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. "I had a couple turnovers. ... I'm glad we're playing again (Wednesday) so I can bounce back and regroup. Obviously Montreal is a really good team. They don't give you a whole lot of time and space."
McKenna also admitted that the weight of the moment played a role.
"Maybe had a little bit of nerves tonight or something," he said. "It's fast out there."
McKenna posted a minus-2 rating in 15:19. He was credited with one shot on goal and two giveaways.
Despite the uneven performance, McKenna was able to soak in the experience of his first NHL game.
"It's pretty hard to forget a day like this," he said. "Coming out here, getting to have that rookie lap, seeing my family on the glass in warmups, hearing your name called in player intros, it's all pretty special."
The Maple Leafs selected McKenna first overall in June's NHL draft. The highly skilled winger posted 51 points in 35 games at Penn State last season.
McKenna will get another chance to find the scoresheet when the Maple Leafs take on the New York Islanders on Wednesday in the second game of a back-to-back to open the campaign.
