Fansided

Nail Yakupov Delivers Crushing Hit; Develops Physical Presence

By Catherine Silverman

Oct 11, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Nail Yakupov (10) celebrates his goal with forward Benoit Pouliot (67) against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Ryan Miller (30) (not pictured) during the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Nail Yakupov (10) celebrates his goal with forward Benoit Pouliot (67) against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Ryan Miller (30) (not pictured) during the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Edmonton Oilers forward Nail Yakupov bangs up Coyotes winger Brandon McMillan

Yakupov has been considered one of Edmonton’s rising stars since the lockout-shortened 2012-2013 season, which saw the rookie post 31 points in 48 games.

More from Arizona Coyotes

The Russian player delivered a monstrous hit in the clip shown above, which the Oilers official Twitter titled “#Nailed”. Sounds about right- McMillan got drilled into the glass so hard that it’s possible he split his cheek open on the sheet.

He was winded and doubled over coming off the ice following the play, although no call was made and he returned to the game in both the second and third periods.

In what was very clearly the hit of the night, Oilers forward Nail Yakupov drills Arizona Coyotes winger Brandon McMillan- right into the boards. Like, hard.

The Edmonton Oilers have struggled to find consistency on defense since the start of the 2014-2015 season; the Pacific Division franchise sits on a 0-3-1 record heading into their fifth game this October. Hits like these are crucial when the team’s back end cannot support itself; Yakupov clearly brings a physical element to the Oilers game that is conspicuously absent from a large number of the franchise’s other players.

More from FanSided

Home/Arizona Coyotes