The Edmonton Oilers will be without forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for at least a week, head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed on Monday. The veteran center is dealing with an undisclosed injury and will miss the matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Nugent-Hopkins was absent from Sunday’s practice, which at the time was described as a “maintenance day.” However, Knoblauch’s update suggests the issue is more significant than initially believed.
The team has not released details about the injury or when exactly it occurred.
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The timing is far from ideal for the Oilers, who are coming off a humiliating 9-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche and are searching for stability in their lineup. Nugent-Hopkins, 32, has been one of Edmonton’s most dependable players this season, recording 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists) through 16 games.
His ability to contribute on both the power play and penalty kill makes his absence even more noticeable.
To compensate, Knoblauch is expected to make several roster adjustments. Clearly, the Oilers will need another forward to jump in on their successful power play.
To cover the penalty kill minutes, Mattias Janmark will make his season debut, and Curtis Lazar draws in for David Tomasek.
Stuart Skinner gets the start in goal after being pulled against Colorado. He said he’s going to try and flush the Avs loss down and noted, “Its not about my save percentage. Its about my win column..the team’s win column.”
Leon Draisaitl spoke with the media Monday and noted, “Sometimes its good to get slapped in the face.”
Edmonton will need a strong collective effort tonight. From there, they’ll need to find a way to replace the minutes Nugent-Hopkins plays until he returns.
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