'It's A Good Number'

BOSTON — His first NHL game, and first NHL goal, both came against the Bruins.

Tonight, Yegor Sharangovich is set to reach another milestone here in Boston, becoming just the third player of Belarusian descent to reach 400 appearances in the NHL.

Of his countrymen, only Ruslan Salei and Mikhail Grabovski have played more NHL games, but Sharangovich admits he’s not overly focused on individual achievements.

“For Belarusian hockey, it’s really good,” he said Thursday morning. “(There are) a couple guys playing in the NHL, everybody is starting to know about our country, too. I think every year, there will be more and more players from our country.

“It’s a good number, for me and for Belarus, but I’m not focusing on numbers. I’m just happy to be here and playing for this team.”

He’s two seasons removed from a 31-goal campaign - another high-water mark for Belarusian hockey - and over his time in Calgary, Sharangovich has proven that his shot can be nigh on unstoppable.

Head Coach Ryan Huska has described Sharangovich as a ‘streaky’ scorer over his tenure with the Flames, and when asked about the winger Thursday morning, he suggested the offence will manifest from hard work and engagement.

“When you look at the way our team is a little bit right now, we need other people to step up and generate some offence, and he’s one of those guys. A big part of him being able to get into positions to do that is by being strong and hard on his stick,” Huska explained. “Those are things I always look for out of him.

“When he is winning pucks and able to maintain possession of them for a while, that’s when you know he’s on his game.”

And Sharangovich, too, knows he can reach another level, like he did two seasons ago.

Consider, too, that during that 31-goal campaign, 20 of Sharangovich’s tallies came in the games after New Year’s Day.

“I feel not bad, but still, I need to improve my game,” he said. “I have a couple levels, and still I need to be working hard to improve my game.”

Ahead of a Thursday tilt with the Bruins, that’s Sharangovich’s focus.

Doing what he can to help the team get back in the win column, and leaving the milestones for the stats people.

“It’s actually a big number, but time is going really quick,” he said. “I remember my first game, it’s already 400 games.

“We need to win the game.”