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.

All hope was seemingly lost after the Colorado Avalanche built an early 3-0 lead in the first period. Four unanswered Oilers goals, however, lifted Edmonton to their fourth straight victory and has put them in a very good spot in the standings.

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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.

The Minnesota Wild and the Edmonton Oilers face off in Western Conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

A first-period parade to the penalty box by the Oilers wasn’t that advantageous for the Wild. Why? Because Edmonton’s stars were rested and raring to go. Despite the power play gifting the Wild a two-goal head start,

The idea that Conroy would send Andersson to Edmonton at the deadline has some problems. The two organizations have a bitter rivalry going back decades, with Calgary’s sole Stanley Cup built (by Cliff Fletcher and Bob Johnson) for the single purpose of beating the Oilers.

Right-side defenseman Ryan Pulock, who has been playing impressive hockey as of late, is in the third year of an eight-year deal worth $6.15 million. Left-side defenseman Adam Pelech, who is also in the third year of an eight-year deal, carries an annual cap hit of $5.75 million.

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The St. Louis Blues made it clear over the offseason that they were ready to play hardball with the rest of the NHL if it meant a return to the Stanley Cup Play

If the Canucks really felt they had to do something about their logjam at winger — a premise that doesn’t hold much weight today considering Phil Di Giuseppe is back in the top six — they should’ve picked another one of their promising young wingers: Nils Höglander.