Among the Oilers dealing with a Stanley Cup Final hangover this fall has been Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has only one goal and five assists through the team’s 14 games.
Though Connor McDavid returned to the lineup on Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights, Nugent-Hopkins was moved from his usual spot on the captain’s left wing to the third-line centre role with Adam Henrique and Connor Brown on his sides.
The trio clicked for Edmonton’s first goal of the game, a point shot from Darnell Nurse that was deflected by Brett Kulak following a shift of sustained pressure in Vegas’ zone. It was a breath of fresh air for the Oilers, as their third line has been completely stagnant offensively to start the season.
In the middle of the third period, with the Oilers up 2-1, Nugent-Hopkins was called for a holding penalty in the offensive zone. It was an unusual error for the longest-tenured Oiler, who’s racked up only 314 penalty minutes over 895 games in the NHL and is known for his smart, disciplined play.
The Golden Knights capitalized on the opportunity and tied the game at 2-2. They scored again in the final minute of play to take the lead and added an empty-net goal to seal the deal with a few seconds left on the clock to escape with a 4-2 win.
When asked about Nugent-Hopkins’ play following the loss, head coach Kris Knoblauch noted that the versatile pivot isn’t playing poorly, but he’s been far from his best.
“I thought their line had some chances the first period, maybe some in the second. That’s unfortunate with the penalty, 200-feet away. It’s tough to take an offensive zone penalty when we had the lead,” Knoblauch said.
I think with Ryan, it’s not that he’s playing bad — I’ve seen him play better, I’ve seen him play much better — but I think I can say that for our team as a whole.”
Edmonton’s penalty kill has been a major problem during the team’s disappointing 6-7-1 start to the season. After posting a league-average penalty kill in 2023-24 at 79.5 percent and a nearly unbeatable one in the playoffs at 94.3 percent, the Oilers have allowed a whopping 15 goals on 37 opposing power play opportunities in 2024-25.
“They were able to make a seam pass. It was a very high-level pass,” Knoblauch said of Vegas’ game-tying power-play goal. “We had it covered off pretty well, but it got through us. Once that pass gets through, then you’re in scramble mode. Right then, it became scramble mode. There were a lot of good things on the penalty kill, some clears, some denials, but just not good enough.”
Watching Vegas tie the game from the penalty box was frustrating for Nugent-Hopkins considering how well the team had played otherwise.
“I don’t want to get into it too much,” Nugent-Hopkins said of his penalty. “[The ref] makes a call and I’m trying to just make a play on it. From his angle, it’s a penalty and he calls it. It’s a tough time to take it as a killer, especially the way it’s kind of gone so far for us.
“It’s not fun being in that penalty box, especially at that time. We worked so hard the rest of the game, so I’d obviously like to have that one back.”
Though Nugent-Hopkins’ penalty is a sore spot from this game, his play with Adam Henrique and Connor Brown was encouraging. The third and fourth lines have only chipped in a handful of goals this season and the Oilers badly need some depth forwards to start finding the back of the net.
“For our first time playing together, for the most part, I thought we played well,” Nugent-Hopkins said of playing with Henrique and Brown. “We created some stuff, we got that one goal, we didn’t give up too many chances. I think we connected well and we definitely have a simple mindset of getting in there and trying to go to work from there.”
Navigating a cold stretch isn’t something new for Nugent-Hopkins. The first-overall pick from the 2011 draft has experienced many highs and lows during his 14 years in the NHL. What has that experience taught him? The only way forward is through.
“I feel like I’m still creating stuff and getting my looks, it’s just not going in,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “But this isn’t the first time I’ve gone through something like this. You play a long time in this league, you go through tough stretches. There’s a lot of hockey left in the season for us collectively and individually.
I know I’m going to put my head down and keep working, and I expect the same from this group, for sure.”
The Oilers will be off on Thursday and Friday before travelling to Vancouver to face the Canucks for the first time this season. Nugent-Hopkins has faced his hometown club 56 times throughout his NHL career and has 15 goals and 36 points against Vancouver.