Oilers’ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Still Out With Injury

By Catherine Silverman | Oct 15, 2014

Oct 11, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis (2) and Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) fight during the third period at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 5-4 in overtime shoot out. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports /

Oilers will hunt for their first win of the season without forward Ryan Nugent-Hpkins

According to NBC’s Pro Hockey Talk, Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will not be in the lineup against the Arizona Coyotes tonight. This is the second game Nugent-Hopkins will miss.

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According to Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins, the injury (which has remained undisclosed to the public) has nothing to do with the fight Nugent-Hopkins got into during the team’s game against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, although it has been confirmed that this was the game in which the 21-year-old got injured.

The forward, who finished last season with 56 points (19G, 37 A) in 80 games, is not normally one to drop the gloves. From the sounds of things, he got pretty “banged up” during the game- and according to Eakins, is pretty bruised up.

While the team should obviously take the utmost care of their star players, this could be a bad sign for the Edmonton franchise. The center is a top-six player, and- as the Boston Bruins know all too well- losing a top line centerman can hurt the team’s scoring chances significantly. The team will be playing in Glendale, Arizona Wednesday night without Nugent-Hopkins, against an Arizona franchise that sits on a 1-1-0 record for the season. Edmonton is currently 0-2-1 in three games.

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