Oilers notes: Nugent-Hopkins poised to return to Oilers lineup against Carolina

OK, start the countdown.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who suffered an undisclosed lower-body injury in the last training camp session three weeks ago and didn’t get to skate out with the other part of the Edmonton Oilers leadership group for the season opener, will play his first game on Thursday when the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes are in town.

Nugent-Hopkins was getting treatment Sept. 29 when the Vancouver Canucks were here, and wasn’t even in a suit and tie at the bench to be introduced. But after missing the first nine games, putting off his pursuit of Kevin Lowe as the all-time Oilers leader in games played, he’ll likely slot in as the second-line centre. They’ll move Colton Dach back in the lineup, maybe to fourth-line centre, with coach Mike Babcock maybe averse to changing up the checking line with rookie cente Owen Michaels between Alex Formenton and Mathieu Joseph.

Nugent-Hopkins, on his 10th different coach with Babcock, has played 1,031 Oilers games, six back of the Hall of Famer and former GM Lowe, since RNH was their first pick in 2011. If he stays healthy, he will become No. 1 in New Jersey Nov. 3.

“Nuge will be back for the next game so the minutes won’t be out of whack. I’m excited,” said Babcock, who has played Leon Draisaitl with Connor McDavid for most of the first nine games, resisting the simplest chess-piece move of putting 29 back to second-line centre to spread the offence around. With the injuries at centre — Jason Dickinson is also out — Babcock has been in “try to survive” mode in the middle.

The Oilers had the day off Wednesday so we didn’t see lines but Babcock said “we’re going to be in a way better situation centre-wise.” He’s had the injured Jason Dickinson, Dach, Trent Frederic and Michaels in the middle behind the top line.

Nugent-Hopkins has played considerably more wing with McDavid and Zach Hyman the last several years than in the middle, but if he’s in the middle with Hyman and Kasperi Kapanen, the Oilers will have a second line with some offensive juice.

“I feel at this point, I’m used to playing both, so I think there’s going to be times, no matter what, that things are going to be switched up. I don’t think it’s a huge transition,” Nugent-Hopkins said in camp.

If Babcock wants to keep 97 and 29 on the same line with Vasily Podkolzin — if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it — then Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins have to be the staples on a second line. It could be Kapanen, who did get top-unit power-play time until Hyman returned from his injury, on the left wing. Maybe Matt Savoie, who’s out with a lower-body injury, could be there when he returns next month.

One thing about Babcock is he says what’s on his mind. There’s not much dancing with him, ergo the “every once in a while you need to get fed your lunch” line with Drasaitl, McDavid and Vasily Podkolzin being outplayed five-on-five Tuesday by the Wild’s top line of Joel Eriksson Ek, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy.

The 97-29-92 Oilers line has totally crushed it through the first three weeks of the season, but didn’t have the puck enough against the Minnesota line, with Eriksson Ek, one of the league’s most underrated two-way players, extremely difficult to play against.

Draisaitl acknowledged their off-night in his post-game talk.

“Good assessment,” said Babcock.

“When that happens you look and say, ‘What are we going to do and fix it?’ The league’s competitive and when you play a good team that’s organized, there’s no room. If you don’t play right, you get frustrated,” said Babcock.

“Now, the great thing about the real good players is that have done a lot of winning is they don’t get frustrated. They just keep coming and they know it’s a patient game. They keep plugging away and these guys are going to make their own breaks. We saw that on the power plays,” said Babcock, who watched Draisaitl score two power-play goals on McDavid feeds, and Evan Bouchard rip one past Jesper Wallstedt on another power play inovertime, off a pass from McDavid.

Carolina Hurricanes Cup champion and Olympic team winger Seth Jarvis might play against the Oilers, his first game after off-season right shoulder surgery in late June to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff. Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour wouldn’t commit to Jarvis returning but Jarvis was skating on a regular line and was working with their power-play unit at Wednesday’s practice.

Jarvis did play throughout the playoffs hurt, not that it showed on the stats sheet with 11 points in 19 games. “You end on such a high note, then it’s right into a long, slow process where you’re sitting around, not able to do anything. I’m close and can’t be more excited,” said Jarvis, talking after the Carolina practice.

“After you get over the initial pain of it, you get used to how it will feel and what to expect. You block it out of your mind. I felt I was still in a position to help the hockey team and not hinder us,” he said of playing injured during the playoffs.

The Canes, who have lost captain Jordan Staal until some time next month with a partially torn calf muscle, and Taylor Hall, who is week to week with an upper-body injury, are still trucking along. They’re still all smiles and brought currently injured Oilers goalie Frederik Andersen his Cup ring. They presented it to him before their practice at Rogers Place. Andersen carried the load through the first 16 playoff games before getting hurt against Vegas in the final, with Brandon Bussi taking over.

Brind’Amour greatly appreciated Andersen in his 207 Carolina games over five seasons. He battled injuries, but also won a lot of games. “There was a lot to like about Freddie. He was very easygoing and obviously, his play was very solid. He was very consistent. You knew what to expect. There were never really the highs and or the lows. He was a calming presence and that’s what a team wants in a goalie,” said coach Rod Brind’Amour

The Canes haven’t had any Cup hangover. What’s the key?

“It’s having quality people in your team. They get it that it’s also a job. Everybody’s on a different race now. It’s over and done. Loved to talk about it but we’ve got a job to do and they take pride in that,” said Brind’Amour.

Everybody points to the Canes’ use of four lines, and Babcock would like to do the same here, giving everybody a role, making everybody important. But, Carolina doesn’t have McDavid or Draisaitl. They have very good players but not great ones, and like most coaches, it’s tough to keep 97 and 29 off the ice. Win or lose.

“As a coach, if you’re behind or you’re ahead, you want to get those guys out there,” said Brind’Amour, who doesn’t have that luxury in Carolina but has two Cup rings — one as a coach, the second as captain in 2006.

“It’s important for our team because that’s how we’re made up,” said Brind’Amour on running four lines. “I believe it is the best way to be successful. Hockey’s a team sport, maybe the greatest. You need to rely on everybody.”

Brind’Amour hasn’t watched a ton of Oilers games this season, but he knows they’ve only lost one game in regulation. “The offence isn’t surprising. You’ve got two of the greatest players ever. They’ve always been a good team, and maybe Babs is adding to the group, maybe some structure and being on the same page top to bottom,” he said.

This ‘n’ that: Not having Staal, arguably the best faceoff man in hockey and also a great leader, leaves a large dent in the Canes, but they’re still winning. “You don’t replace him. I mean some day we’ll have to, but not any time soon. He’s a leader in his daily habits. Everybody else has to pick up the slack and we’re figuring it as we go,” said Brind’Amour … Oilers winger Ike Howard still only got 7:41 of ice time on the fourth line Tuesday, but he had his best offensive game of the season against the Wild. He twice was stopped by big Jesper Wallstedt saves and also drilled a shot off the crossbar … With Nugent-Hopkins return from IR, they’ll have 24 players on the roster, one over the max. Maybe they send Max Jones to Bakersfield. Maybe they put Dickinson on injured reserve. Off the Wild lineup, Filip Hallander (6:55) may be a sitter for the Carolina game with Dach, Trent Frederic and Howard as fourth line.

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