"[Troy] Terry made a great play and dropped it back to [Mason McTavish]," Nesterenko humbly said. "Mac-T made an unbelievable pass and found me at an open net. All I had to do was put it in, so great play by both of them."
"He'll never forget that one," Eakins said. I think any time you're a teammate or a coach or whatever it is, those are always feel-good moments. The kid's first game the other night, that's a feel-good moment, then he scores, that's a huge
one. That's about the only positive from Saturday."
Skating in his third game as a Duck, Nesterenko was elevated into Anaheim's top-six to play alongside Terry and McTavish, an opportunity Eakins said he earned with strong showings in his first two NHL appearances.
"I think he's skating very well," Eakins said. "He's fairly responsible. We weren't just going to put him up there. I know it's only been a couple of games but I think he's earned it. If he can keep that up, he'll stay in the lineup."
"I'm just super grateful that they gave me the opportunity," Nesterenko said. "They believe in me. It's way easier when you're playing with two guys like that. It makes my job a lot easier and I'm just trying to make their job easier."
