Nugent-Hopkins, whose two-way acumen has him stapled to the top line most games, moved down the depth chart against the Wild. He moved from left wing to centre, playing with wingers Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson for much of the evening.

But who’s manning his wings on any given shift can change wildly. Zach Hyman might be next to him, or all the way down on the third line trying to ignite things in order for Edmonton’s top-six into nine cylinders of offence. Yup, the reigning 54-goal scorer from a season ago spending significant time on the third line.

Edmonton Oilers veteran forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is beginning to show significant signs of struggle, and the team may be reaching the point where he needs to be demoted out of the top six.

Read the recent NHL news and rumors about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for fantasy hockey. Edmonton Oilers left wing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tallied a goal and an

Everything is pointing to the Oilers being a busy team at the upcoming trade deadline, but what part of the roster should they target?

A first-period parade to the penalty box by the Oilers wasn’t that advantageous for the Wild. Why? Because Edmonton’s stars were rested and raring to go. Despite the power play gifting the Wild a two-goal head start,

Evan Bouchard scored with 6:55 left and the surging Edmonton Oilers overcame a three-goal deficit to beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 on Thursday night.

Vasily Podkolzin scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, Connor McDavid had two goals and an assist, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Minnesota Wild 5-3 for their seventh win in eight games.

In 1979-80, the Oilers outscored the league average by 20 goals but surrendered 41 more goals than average. When the team won Stanley in 1984, Edmonton outscored the average by a stunning 130 goals, while also giving up two fewer goals than average.

After a thrilling come-from-behind victory on Tuesday, the Avalanche host the Edmonton Oilers in the second of a five-game homestand. This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season, as the Oilers won 4-1 in Denver on November 30, and they’ll play again in Edmonton on February 7.

Fair to say that McDavid, who turns 28 today, has lived up to the hype that preceded him. He belongs in that small class of Canadian hockey superheroes who were already national celebrities by 16: among them Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Eric Lindros, Sidney Crosby.

Thanks to Schenn’s two goals, Kyrou’s goal of his own and Holloway’s pair of assists, the line combined for five points in another important win over Calgary on Thursday night.