Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored in regulation and then the only shootout goal as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-5 on Thursday night. He converted in the shootout to complete a special return, and he also scored in regulation in his season debut. The Oilers Nugent-Hopkins return came a few hours after the club took him off injured reserve.
It matters because Edmonton had played nine games without its longest-serving forward and still sat near the top of the league. Getting a second-line centre back gives coach Mike Babcock a way to cut the heavy minutes on his stars, and the first game showed both the benefit and the work still to do.
How Edmonton beat Carolina 6-5 in a shootout
The game was a contest between the top two teams in the NHL by points percentage, according to Daily Faceoff. That made it a major early-season test for the Oilers in their first year under Babcock. Carolina came in as the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
Nugent-Hopkins tied the game 2-2 on a power play in the second period, his first goal of the season. Edmonton later erased a 4-2 third-period deficit. Connor McDavid scored 26 seconds into the third with a one-timer from the left circle, set up by Leon Draisaitl, to make it 4-3. Draisaitl then tied it 4-4 on a power play.
Carolina still had answers. Jackson Blake, Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Logan Stankhoven and Juuso Valimaki scored for the Hurricanes. Jarvis scored in his first game of the season, after off-season shoulder surgery. The game went past regulation and was settled by Nugent-Hopkins, who scored the only goal of the shootout.
Here is how the night added up for Edmonton:
- Draisaitl and McDavid each finished with two goals and three assists.
- Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and an assist, the assist coming on a pass from McDavid.
- Devon Levi made 22 saves.
- The Oilers moved to 8-1-1 and have won three straight and seven of their last eight.
Oilers Nugent-Hopkins return: the injury and the roster move
Nugent-Hopkins left the pre-game skate on Sept. 29, ahead of the season opener against the Canucks, with a lower-body injury. He went on injured reserve on Oct. 1 and missed all nine games before Thursday. The club has not given a detailed medical update in the material reviewed.
The Oilers announced on Thursday that Nugent-Hopkins was off IR and that Jason Dickinson had gone on it. The roster was full, so Dickinson’s move was needed to clear the spot. Dickinson has a lower-body injury and had missed three straight games, going back to the Oct. 15 loss to the Utah Mammoth.
Babcock had flagged the move two days earlier. He confirmed the availability of Nugent-Hopkins after Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild. He said that with Nugent-Hopkins back the minutes “won’t be out of whack,” and the team would be in a better situation at centre.
Where Nugent-Hopkins fits in the lineup
According to Jason Gregor of The Nation Network, Nugent-Hopkins was set to centre the No. 2 line between Zach Hyman and Kasperi Kapanen. He had practised there on Monday, splitting reps with Colton Dach.
Babcock said the role suits him. “That’s what he’s been his whole life,” the coach said of Nugent-Hopkins playing centre. Nugent-Hopkins is also back on the top power-play unit, though the penalty kill stays as it is. His goal on Thursday came with the man advantage.
The second-line spot has a knock-on effect. Babcock hopes it will reduce the heavy minutes on McDavid, Draisaitl and Podkolzin. Colton Dach, Trent Frederic and Isaac Howard look set to gain, after their minutes were cut late in Tuesday’s tight game against the Wild.
The depth is still being rebuilt. Hyman returned last Saturday against the Mammoth, and Daily Faceoff said he came back after a six-game absence. Nugent-Hopkins is the second significant forward to return in a week.
McDavid and the Oilers’ early-season run
The Oilers were already winning before Thursday, and McDavid was the main reason. He had two goals and three assists in a 6-2 win at Utah on Oct. 17, which split a home-and-home series after the Mammoth won 4-2 in Edmonton two days earlier.
The result pushed the Oilers’ road win streak to a franchise-best 5-0-0 and sent them home for a five-game homestand. McDavid became the first player to reach 20 points in eight games or fewer since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96.
His Thursday performance pushed the pace further. The Hockey News reported that he passed a Wayne Gretzky franchise record for points through the first 10 games of a season. Before the game, McDavid had 26 points, Evan Bouchard had 18 and Draisaitl had 16.
The Oilers’ 7-1-1 start was built without Nugent-Hopkins, so his return adds to a team that was already in form rather than repairing one that was struggling.
Babcock’s reaction and the Ekholm worry
Babcock praised Nugent-Hopkins after the game but was frank about the team’s lapses. “I thought Nuge was a star in the second half for us,” he said, according to The Hockey News. He also said the Oilers needed to be more resilient, because they could not afford to bend and break the way they did against Carolina.
He pointed to the minutes as well. He said the plan was to play more players but the team did not have enough of them going. Edmonton ended up leaning on its top players more than it would have liked.
There was one cost to the win. Defenceman Mattias Ekholm left after a collision along the boards with William Carrier, hit the ice hard on his head and needed help to the dressing room. Babcock said he will be out at least one week. The club has not given a more detailed injury report in the coverage reviewed.
Nugent-Hopkins’ place in Oilers history
Nugent-Hopkins is 33. He became the franchise leader for most seasons played with the Oilers, with 16. Edmonton took him first overall in the 2011 draft, and he came into Thursday with 804 points (291 goals, 513 assists) in 1,031 regular-season games for the club.
Last season he played 72 regular-season games and had 56 points, on 20 goals and 36 assists. The Oilers count on him for his play through the middle of the ice and on the power play, which is where his two points on Thursday were centred.
What comes next for the Oilers
The Oilers are in the middle of a homestand at Rogers Place. Thursday’s game was part of a five-game stretch at home. Toronto is the next visitor.
Carolina has little time to dwell on the loss. The Hurricanes are 8-2-2 and finish a five-game road trip against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Ryan Nugent-Hopkins return for the Oilers?
He returned on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, against the Carolina Hurricanes. It was his first game of the season, after the Oilers took him off injured reserve that day.
What was the Oilers’ score against the Hurricanes?
The Oilers won 6-5 in a shootout. Nugent-Hopkins scored the only shootout goal, and Draisaitl and McDavid each had two goals and three assists.
Who went on injured reserve when Nugent-Hopkins came back?
Jason Dickinson went on injured reserve. He has a lower-body injury and had missed three straight games, going back to the Oct. 15 loss to Utah.
Watch for Mattias Ekholm’s injury update, since Babcock has said he will miss at least a week. Also watch how the Oilers split minutes among their forwards now that Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman are both in the lineup. Toronto visits Rogers Place next.
Sources:CBC News, NHL.com (Oilers), The Hockey News, ESPN
