Surrey’s impact in the NHL seems to be growing this season.
The most recent impact was felt in goal. Two local netminders took over as starting goaltenders due to injuries within the last couple of weeks.
One of them, Laurent Brossoit, watched his teammate Jujhar Khaira play in a memorable game yesterday.
Against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, Khaira registered the first two-goal game of his career in the NHL during a 6-2 win.
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The 23-year-old from Surrey has cemented his place in the NHL this season with the Edmonton Oilers. Although the team from Alberta’s capital has been playing below expectations thus far, Khaira has been a bright spot for the organization.
During the beginning of the season, Khaira was not often used by head coach Todd McLellan. He sat as a healthy scratch after failing to register a point during his first six games of the season.
Khaira only played more than ten minutes in one of those six games. During the Oilers game against the Canucks on Oct. 7th, Khaira played a season-low 5:00 minutes.
After scoring his first goal of the season against the Washington Capitals on Nov. 12th, the Surrey native has been one of the best Edmonton Oilers.
Khaira has five goals and nine points in his last ten games, and he’s seen his average ice time creep up towards the 14-minute mark.
He has as many points as Leon Draisaitl during that time span, despite playing in four fewer games.
His two-goal performance comes on the weekend where he will be featured on national TV, with Rogers Hometown Hockey making a stop in Surrey.
The feature will talk about him and his brother Sahvan, and their rise as two of Surrey’s standout hockey players. The 19-year-old Sahvan is currently a defenceman with the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL.
Aside from the feature, Khaira’s Oilers will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the Hometown Hockey broadcast.
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