Yakupov had an MRI on Friday that alleviated concerns that he may have suffered a fracture when a shot off the stick of Justin Schultz, a glancing blow that had even Oilers' coach Dallas Eakins cringing.
“That was a hard shot on not a very good spot on his foot,” Eakins said after the teams' loss to Minnesota on Thursday night. “When you see a player go off like Yak did they rarely practice the next day. We’ll have to see tomorrow how he is,”
Yakupov took the stance that he's a hockey player and would be ok for the next game, but Eakins isn't in any hurry to return the young scorer to the lineup in this lost season for the Oilers, who are collectively the second-worst team in the NHL, just four points ahead of the streaking Buffalo Sabres for the dishonor of being the league's doormat...
...this despite going 5-2-2 in their last nine games, though losing streaks of six and seven games preceding the current high point effectively eliminated them from any hope of making the post-season.
The twenty-year-old had been manning the wing on the top line alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall,showing life with 23 points on the season on 11 goals and 12 assists, but sporting an abysmal minus-29 rating - but still, the youngster is keeping a good attitude towards his latest setback in this season of horrors.
“It happens sometimes. It’s part of hockey." Yakupov said on Friday, still sporting a walking boot on his right foot. "Sometimes shots will get your body or your legs when you stand in front of the net.”.
http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/03/oilers-nail-yakupov-day-to-day-after.html
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