Oilers edge Ducks, gain in Pacific Division race with 6th straight win

ANAHEIM -- The Edmonton Oilers moved within one point of first place in the Pacific Division with their sixth straight win, 3-1 against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Wednesday.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins reached 100 points, and Jack Campbell made 27 saves for the Oilers (47-23-9), who extended their point streak to 12 games (11-0-1). They won 3-1 at the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday to move into second place in the Pacific.
"A lot of the guys are hungry this year after getting a little bit of a taste of it last year," Nugent-Hopkins said of Edmonton's run to the Western Conference Final last season. "After winning a couple of rounds, we definitely came back hungry. We're definitely starting a push now, so it's an exciting time of the year for us."

Troy Terry scored, and Lukas Dostal made 30 saves for the Ducks (23-45-10), who have lost nine straight in regulation.
"I thought we had good sticks," Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. "We tried to take away their time and space. I thought [Dostal] made a couple good saves on them. It was a little bit of everything."
Dostal, who started his second straight game in place of John Gibson (illness), kept it 0-0 by making a save on Darnell Nurse's short-handed 2-on-1 chance with one second left in the first period.
But Klim Kostin gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead at 9:36 of the second period, finishing a feed from Mattias Janmark in his 100th NHL game.
"It's a big moment," Kostin said of the milestone. "I am happy to share this moment with my team and the fans."

Nick Bjugstad made it 2-0 at 12:46 with a one-timer of Kostin's pass from behind the net.
Terry cut it to 2-1 at 4:56 of the third period with a wrist shot from the bottom of the left face-off circle after a turnover by Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak.
Terry missed the previous three games to be with his wife, who is expecting their first child.
"To feel like part of the team again was nice for me," Terry said. "When you haven't played in a while, and all of a sudden you are back out there at game speed, especially against some of the players they have. It took me a little bit to get back into the rhythm of things."
Zach Hyman scored into an empty net with 1:42 remaining for the 3-1 final. Nugent-Hopkins assisted on the goal for his 100th point of the season (36 goals, 64 assists).
"I thought it was a good road win," Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said. "2-0 heading into the third period, we made one mistake with the puck, they capitalized. They worked hard tonight. I think we've given up two goals in the last four games … that's a good sign for our team."

Connor McDavid also had an assist to extend his point streak to 13 games (eight goals, 16 assists).
In addition to Nugent-Hopkins, linemates McDavid (62 goals, 86 assists) and Hyman (35 goals, 46 assists) have also produced NHL career highs in goals and assists this season. Nugent-Hopkins' previous NHL career high was 69 points (28 goals, 41 assists) in 2018-19.
"We all play different styles of game, but we can complement each other," Nugent-Hopkins said. "Obviously, Connor can drive the play with the puck, without the puck. 'Hymes' holds onto it probably better than anyone in the League. He's so hard to take off the puck, so I try to get open for those guys, try to distribute the puck as much as I can."
NOTES: Nugent-Hopkins joined McDavid and forward Leon Draisaitl as players with at least 100 points this season, making the Oilers the first NHL team since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins with three players (Jaromir Jagr, Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis) to accomplish the feat in the same season. ... Draisaitl had his point streak end at 13 games (10 goals, 17 assists). … Terry will not accompany the Ducks for their final road game at the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday but is expected to play in the final three home games. He has nine points (four goals, five assists) in his past eight games. ... Anaheim center Adam Henrique had an assist in 15:04 of ice time after missing 19 games with a knee injury. … Ducks forward Brock McGinn left in the first period because of an upper-body injury.