Must see: Yakupov, Galchenyuk score NHL firsts

It was a good night to be an alumnus of the Sarnia Sting.

NHL rookies Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk, who lived together and scored together as Ontario Hockey League juniors (the Russian Yakupov finding a billet home with the Galchenyuks), found their hockey paths linked again on Tuesday, as both forwards scored their first goals in the NHL.

And they wasted no time firing off congratulations to each other through Twitter.

Yakupov, who was drafted first overall last June by the Edmonton Oilers, scored eight and a half minutes into the opening period of the Oilers’ home opener when he charged hard towards the net and accepted a pass from teammate Sam Gagner. The Russian’s speed proved too much for San Jose Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi, who failed to get across the crease in time.

1st GOAL for OILERS !Thanks a lot boys , very happy about that ! Thanks for every one who support me !And thanks oilers fans :-* u awesome

— Наиль Якупов (@Nail10_1993) January 23, 2013

The goal came on Yakupov’s very first shot on Oilers home ice, and he celebrated with glee, leaping into the glass.

“I was happy when I scored my first goal,” the 18-year-old told reporters after the game, a 6-3 loss to the Sharks. “But we needed to play better in the first period.”

Congrats to my good buddy @nail10_1993 for scoring his first NHL goal ! #мигёё

— Alex galchenyuk (@AGally94) January 23, 2013

On the opposite end of the continent, Galchenyuk – a key piece in Team U.S.A.’s gold-medal run at the world junior championship three weeks ago – also popped his big-league first.

Galchenyuk, drafted just two spots below Yakupov in June, became the first 18-year-old Canadien to score since Petr Svoboda way back in 1984.

By tipping a Brandon Prust shot at 14:25 of the second period, the rookie drew a deafening roar from the Bell Centre and strengthened his case to remain with the Habs and not get sent back down to the Sting.

“It was nice to get the first one out of the way,” said Galchenyuk, who was named the game’s first star after the Habs’ 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers.

“To have a crowd like that was just phenomenal,” he added. “Every single guy (on the bench) congratulated me, but it was only the second period and I had to stay focused.”

Extra frame: Highlights of Yakupov and Galchenyuk with the Sting

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