The Edmonton Oilers went a perfect 3-0 in three games last week, and as Oilers play-by-play man Jack Micheals pointed out, it marked the first time the Oilers won two games in a row without a point from Connor McDavid.
While it was rare to see the captain held off the scoresheet in back-to-back games, but the positive is that the team still found ways to win, with depth players stepping up and thriving even when McDavid wasn’t at his usual best. That said, let’s take a look at the Oilers’ Three Stars of the Week from last week’s three games.

Oilers’ 3rd Star: Connor Brown

Last Week’s Stats – 3 GP – 0 G – 3 A – 3 Pts
Season Stats – 39 GP – 6 G – 13 A – 19 Pts
After a productive stretch of games, Connor Brown was elevated to the first line to play with McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins last week, and the 30-year-old didn’t disappoint, registering three assists and earning the Oilers’ third Star of the Week honours.
Against the Utah Hockey Club in a New Year’s Eve battle, Brown was promoted to the top line and earned an assist on Nugent-Hopkins’ go-ahead goal in the second period after a slick passing play between all three forwards.
Not even a minute later, he continued to show good chemistry with his linemates, receiving a puck from McDavid, putting on the brakes, curling, and dishing a soft backhand pass to Troy Stecher, whose shot squeezed by Utah netminder Jaxson Stauber, with Brown finishing the night with two assists in the 4-1 win.
Brown was held pointless against the Anaheim Ducks two nights later but raised his battle level the next night against the Seattle Kraken. He sent his captain in all alone early in the game with a stretch pass and got an assist on Nugent-Hopkins’ goal with a quick little pass in front of the net. Overall, he finished the night playing a season-high 19:24 minutes.
The 30-year-old is currently on a 40-point pace this season and has posted 11 points in his last 11 games. This is, without a doubt, the Connor Brown the Oilers thought they were getting when he initially signed with the team before last season. Moreover, one aspect of his game I’m noticing more of on his hot streak is his keen hockey sense and playmaking ability, an element of his game that may have been a bit underappreciated before.
It’s uncertain if Brown will stay on the first line moving forward, but it’s a good idea to experiment with line combinations now to see what clicks in case the Oilers need new looks in the playoffs. Additionally, it’s a nice reward for his recent point production, and his promotion sends a message to the rest of the team that hard work will be rewarded, which can create healthy competition.

Oilers’ 2nd Star: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Last Week’s Stats – 3 GP – 3 G – 0 A – 3 Pts
Season Stats – 38 GP – 10 G – 12 A – 22 Pts
The longest-serving Oiler, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, scored three goals in three consecutive games last week, earning him the number two spot on the Oilers’ Three Stars of the Week.
Against Utah, Nugent-Hopkins was originally slated to center his own line between Mattias Janmark and Kasperi Kapanen. However, head coach Kris Knoblauch recognized the team needed a shake-up after one period, so the Burnaby, BC native was moved back to his spot on the left side beside McDavid and Brown, and the results paid off almost instantly.
Five minutes into the second period, Nugent-Hopkins intercepted a pass in Utah’s zone, and after a couple of slick passes, he received a feed from McDavid to tap in his eighth goal of the season. Against the Ducks, Nuge picked up the puck on the PP, deferred from his usual low blocker routine, and fired a sneaky pass into the slot, and Jackson LaCombe redirected the puck into the net for his 9th of the season.
The next night against the Kraken, Nugent-Hopkins was second among forwards in ice time (19:58) and scored his third goal in three straight games with a quick shot off a sneaky Brown set up in the second period, helping lead the team to a 4-2 victory.
Without question, this is Nuge’s best stretch of hockey this season after a slow start, and it’s great to see the Oilers’ versatile forward back in his groove. Additionally, a fun fact that Baggedmilk mentioned is that the team is 9-0-1 in games where the baby-faced sniper scores a goal.

Oilers’ 1st Star: Leon Draisaitl

Last Week’s Stats – 3 GP – 3 G – 1 A – 4 Pts
Season Stats – 39 GP – 29 G – 30 A – 59 Pts
Leon Draisaitl stayed red-hot, tallying four points in three games last week, which includes scoring the game-winning goal against the Ducks to earn the Oilers’ First Star of the Week.
Against Utah, Draisaitl’s line opened the scoring when the centerman led the play, leading to the 1-0 goal, though he wasn’t credited with an assist. He capped off the night with an empty-netter, as his line out-chanced the opposition 10-6 in scoring opportunities.
Two nights later, Draisaitl couldn’t get the offence going early against a stingy Ducks squad but came up clutch when the big line of McDavid, Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman was reunited. With the game tied 2-2, Draisaitl booted down Hyman’s pass and snapped home the game-winner with a perfect shot past Lukas Dostal with 1:35 left on the clock, scoring his ninth game-winner this season, which also leads the NHL.
Additionally, the big centerman tallied a two-point game the next night against the Kraken, starting things off early with a great setup on Vasily Podkolzin’s goal. Then, late in the third period, Draisaitl seemingly worked some Jedi-like magic as Oliver Bjorkstrand stumbled out of nowhere, creating an open lane to the empty net for an easy goal.
To say that Draisaitl is hot right now doesn’t do him justice—he’s absolutely scorching. He’s riding a 14-game point streak (12 goals and 15 assists), sitting second in NHL points, and starting to build a solid lead in the scoring race. On top of that, he’s been defensively reliable and dominant in the faceoff circle, winning 57% of his draws, including a combined 29-14 in the circle over the past three games.

Honourable Mention: Darnell Nurse

Last Week’s Stats – 3 GP – 1 G – 1 A – 2 Pts
Season Stats – 36 GP – 4 G – 13 A – 17 Pts
Many Oilers deserve an honourable mention for their efforts last week, but this week, I gave it to defenceman Darnell Nurse, who recorded two points in three games while playing big minutes for the club.
Against Utah, he didn’t register any points but was steady in his 22:49 of ice time. He started the play on the Oilers’ third goal, despite not getting credited with an assist, and tied for the team lead with four shots on goal on the night.
Against the Ducks on Jan. 3, he read the play well and found open ice while the fourth line passed the puck around, then ripped a snapshot home for his fourth of the season in the second period. Additionally, that goal (his 80th of his career) brought him within one of Charlie Huddy for second place on the Oilers’ all-time goal-scoring list by a defenceman.
With the game tied in the third against the Ducks, the big line of Hyman, Draisaitl, and McDavid was on the ice, and Nurse, who was having a great game, was sent out with that trio. He received the puck at the blue line, showed poise, and made the pass to Hyman, which resulted in a Draisaitl goal.
Against the Kraken, despite not being able to impede the 2-on-1 chance on the Kraken’s first goal, he was overall solid again. He led the team with 25 minutes of ice time, kickstarted the Oilers’ first goal with an outlet pass, blocked four shots—including a big point shot with 20 seconds left in the game—and threw three hits.
That said, Nurse is playing some great hockey right now, especially since before Christmas, and the advanced metrics show the same. According to Natural Stat Trick, since Dec. 19th, at 5v5, he ranks 4th among blueliners in the NHL in scoring chances for % (52.99 SCF%), 4th in high-danger chances for % (62.26 HDCF%), and 6th in expected goals for % (52.15 xGF%).
Considering all that, Oilersnation, here are some questions: How long do you think Brown deserves a spot on the first line? What’s your take on Nugent-Hopkins’ recent heater, and can Nurse maintain this high level of play?

This article is presented by Deloitte Canada

Being competitive today means working differently. Deloitte’s managed services offer a new way to embed continuous advantage by energizing and driving your critical business functions. Unlock talent on demand, advance innovation, and gain insight to maintain a competitive advantage. Build stronger, transform faster, and turn your cost centres into value generators. Operate with Deloitte.