BCHL alum nets first NHL goal with Nashville Predators

Dante Fabbro, a BCHL and Penticton Vees alum, has netted his first goal and point as a NHL player for the Nashville Predators.

Fabbro picked up a drop pass at the top of the circles, glided in and snapped a shot top corner past Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Cam Ward’s glove to cut the lead 2-1. It was the first of five unanswered goals that saw the Predators bounce back to a 5-2 win on Saturday.

“I saw (Filip Forsberg) come around and he had got a handle on the puck. I saw a little gap to jump through and I was screaming, luckily he dropped it and it went in. I kind of blacked out there, but it was a good feeling,” said Fabbro

The win over the Blackhawks clinched the Central Division championship for the Predators.

“I honestly didn’t have much going through my mind, I was just pretty amped up about it,” said Fabbro to NHL.com about his goal. “The first guy I saw when I turned around was (Ryan Johansen), so he gave me a big bear hug. It’s such a surreal feeling and I couldn’t have done it with a better group of guys.”

Fabbro played in the Predators final four games of the regular season. He said being surrounded by the group of players has been a learning experience and an “unbelievable feeling.”

Predators head coach Peter Laviolette said Fabbro has played really well.

“He has been on the big stage before, just with Team Canada,in college and being a leader with his team in college … I always think it is a little bit more intimidating when you come into a big building like this, it is the NHL, you’ve made it to the NHL and you are getting your first game that is a big scenario for somebody but I thought he did a really good job,” said Laviolette.