Nikita Scherbak scores on first NHL shot on goal for Montreal (Video)
After Brendan Gallagher of the Montreal Canadiens was taken out for at least two months by a Shea Weber one-timer to his hand, it opened up a spot in the lineup for Nikita Scherbak.
The 21-year-old Russian winger had 20 points in 27 AHL games with St. John’s this season, having already surpassed his total goals (seven) from his 48-game AHL rookie season with 10 in 2016-17.
So what did he do for the Canadiens, in his first game, on his first shot?
This:
The goal came at 19:58 of the first period, so Scherbak only picked up two of the necessities for a Mario Lemieux rookie debut hat trick (first goal on first shot on first shift … Mario was pretty good).
Before the game, coach Michel Therrien noted that Scherbak had made some progress since last season.
“You look at him this year compared to last year, he’s improved a lot,” Therrien said. “It’s an opportunity not only for (him) but for us to see where he’s at in his game.”
So far, so good.
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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