Nugent-Hopkins echoed his captain’s words: “We know we're two away here from the real deal, so we’ve got to prepare the right way and that's mentally and physically.
“When you get up a few, it's easy to kind of stray away from your game and just kind of mosey on through. But I thought we did a good job of having guys coming back, working for each other, playing the right way and building the right habits.”
With second place locked up and playoffs now firmly the focus, how to manage his team’s roster over their final two games will be top of mind for Head Coach Kris Knoblauch.
McDavid just returned from a three-game absence with a lower-body injury and it’s not certain he’ll play the remaining two matches, while Evander Kane was also kept out of the lineup against San Jose on Monday for maintenance reasons.
A number of high ice-time individuals on the Oilers roster – notably on the blueline – could potentially benefit from a breather in one or even both games against Arizona and Colorado on Wednesday and Thursday.
Knoblauch said the state of the Pacific Division title race would play a factor in what they do, but that’s been settled after Vancouver’s victory over Calgary last night.
“We're going to wait and see and make that decision tomorrow after Vancouver's game,” he said post-game on Monday. “If Vancouver wins, it's really easy for us to take guys out because those games don't mean anything.”