Yakupov: No way Kings retaliate over controversial celebration

Edmonton Oilers forward Nail Yakupov made waves on Jan. 24 over the celebration that followed his game-tying goal. He netted it with just 4.7 seconds left in regulation time in the Edmonton Oilers eventual 2-1 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Kings.

Don Cherry thought the 19-year-old rookie “acted like an idiot” and asserted that the Kings “are going to remember this to the dying day.” Meanwhile, Kings forward Jarret Stoll said that the celebration wasn’t viewed “in a positive light in our dressing room.”

So should Yakupov expect some kind of retribution from the Los Angeles Kings when the squads meet again tonight?

“They are not 12-year-olds,” Yakupov said in response, according to the Edmonton Sun. “They are men. They have families.”

Yakupov doesn’t think he did anything wrong in the first place and Oilers coach Ralph Krueger seems to agree.

“I don’t think there was anything except youthful exuberance,” Krueger said.

“He’s just a passionate kid who loves being here and there was nothing dishonest in that. I couldn’t imagine that a team with the level of L.A. Kings would take that any different.”

Either way, we’ll see if Yakupov can manage another dramatic goal. He got off to a hot start, but he’s suffering through a bit of a cold streak now. The Russian forward hasn’t scored a goal since Feb. 2 and he has just one assist in his last four games.

You can see Yakupov’s celebration below:

Related:

Video: Did Yakupov’s celebration go too far?

Video: Derek Morris doesn’t take kindly to Nail Yakupov’s OT-winner