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.

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.

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

The top unit of McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evan Bouchard, and Zach Hyman are still spearheading a sharp unit as the Oilers rank No. 8 overall in power-play efficiency, but they ended last season at No. 4.

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.

The red-hot Edmonton Oilers rallied from an early two-goal deficit to defeat the Minnesota Wild 5-3 at Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday (Jan. 15). Connor McDavid scored twice for the Oilers, who also got one goal apiece from Zach Hyman,

Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid moved into second all-time in points in team history after a three-point performance in the Oilers win over the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.

Connor McDavid passes Jari Kurri for second all-time in Oilers scoring with two goals & an assist, and Calvin Pickard makes 31 saves on Wednesday in a 5-3 victory over the Wild at Xcel Energy Center

Conor McDavid and Vasily Podkolzin scored third-period goals to lift the Edmonton Oilers to a 5-3 win over the Minnesota Wild Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. The Wild (27-14-4) and Oilers (28-13-3) were tied 3-3 entering the third period before Podkolzin and McDavid's goals pushed them over the top.