The mic’d up moment Avery Hayes announced himself with two goals for the Penguins

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Daniel Lucente
February 11, 2026 (11:29)

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Photo credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

Avery Hayes scores two in his NHL debut for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and you can hear every heartbeat in the mic’d up clip.

He did it Thursday, February 5, against the Buffalo Sabres, and it did not feel like a fluke.

Hayes buried his first NHL goal on his first shot, then snapped home another before the first period ended.

Pittsburgh rode that jolt to a 5-2 win, with Arturs Silovs steady between the pipes.

This is the kind of debut that sticks to a fanbase for years.

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The best part is how raw it sounds, the bench chatter, the little gasps, the “did that just happen” energy.

Hayes is 23, a 2021 draft-year player who went undrafted, and he keeps forcing doors open anyway.

He earned this call-up the hard way, producing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 16-10-26 in 32 AHL games before the break.

If you’re a Penguins fan, you’ve probably been begging for a story like this to cut through the grind.

His speed shows up first, especially crossing the blue line with no fear and no hesitation.

The goals were nice, but the pace was the real tell.

Pittsburgh needs more attackers who can win a race and turn it into an instant chance.

Now comes the tough part: keeping him in the lineup when bodies get healthy.

If the Penguins give him even a small top-six look, his north-south game fits.

Either way, the next game after the Olympic break will tell us if this was a cameo or the start of something real.

Previously on HockeyUnplugged

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FEVRIER 11\|135 ANSWERS The mic’d up moment Avery Hayes announced himself with two goals for the Penguins Should Avery Hayes stay with the Pittsburgh Penguins after the break?
Yes	115	85.2 %
No	20	14.8 %
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