If his impressive KHL start is any indication, Nail Yakupov is a quick study when it comes to finding the net.
His two-goal performance in Neftekhimik’s 6-5 win against Atlant gives him eight tallies in the still-young KHL season.
(The league’s Twitter page claims he reached the eight-goal mark in 10 games while his player page says it’s 11, but either way that’s an stellar sampling of sniping.)
One might charge the 2012 draft’s top choice with being a little one-dimensional early on - he only has two assists - but that seems like nitpicking at this point. He’s already fired 43 shots on goal, indicating that his knack for finding the net is probably no accident.
Edmonton Oilers fans can be excused for daydreaming of the 1-2 punch that could one day result from Yakupov finishing off Ryan Nugent-Hopkins deft passes.
Regardless, it seems like the young Russian forward is off to a promising start.
