Ryan Nugent-Hopkins gets massive praise from head coach Jay Woodcroft after achieving 100-point milestone

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is having the best season of his career with the Edmonton Oilers. The 29-year-old star forward recorded an assist during a matchup against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.

With an assist on the night, Nugent-Hopkins took his season tally to 100 points. He became the third player for the Oilers to reach the hundred-point plateau this season, followed by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Following the game, Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft was highly impressed with the forward's performance and showered Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with praise.

Jay Woodcroft said:

"You talk about someone who is popular in our city, popular in the organization and certainly popular with the players and the coaches. To see someone like that hit a milestone of that magnitude is very exciting for everybody."

The statement further continued:

"He is a winner. He does a lot of little things that go into team wins. We’re lucky to have him on our team."

The trio of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are currently the best pairings in the league. The trio has contributed more than 370 points for the team this season.

Ryan-Nugent Hopkins is currently ranked in the eighth spot on the goal-scoring NHL 2022-23 leaderboard. While his teammates, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl, are ranked first and second on the list respectively.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' Edmonton Oilers down Anaheim Ducks 3-1

On Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers (47-23-9) played their 78th game of the season against the Anaheim Ducks (23-45-10) at the Honda Center.

The first period of the game saw no goals scored from either of the teams. Klim Kostin scored the opening goal for the Oilers from a wrist shot at 9:36 minutes of the second period. After just over three minutes, Nick Bjugstad scored the second goal for the team after firing a wrist shot into the back of the net at 12:46 minutes of the second.

Coming into the third period, Troy Terry scored for the Anaheim Ducks at 4:56 minutes to trim the Oilers' lead to 2-1. With less than two minutes remaining in the period, Zach Hyman scored from an empty goal after getting a feed from Connor McDavid and Ryan-Nugent Hopkins.

With this win, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and the Oilers are now trailing by a point from the Vegas Golden Knights (48-22-8) in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The Edmonton Oilers will next be in action against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, April 8.

About the author

Abhishek is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda with over 2 years of sports reporting experience and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delhi. He became a fan of ice hockey after watching NHL fight videos on YouTube, which led to him professionally writing about the sport and his continued interest in all things hockey.

A fan of the Boston Bruins, Abhishek considers their incredible comeback win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2013 playoffs as the most iconic moment in the NHL. His admiration for the six-time Stanley Cup winners also comes from the team’s storied history, distinctive black and gold uniform and their success in the sport. His all-time favorite NHL players are Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, for their ability to perform at the highest level consistently.

Abhishek ensures his reporting is fair and balanced by being well-researched in his details, which he expects to be relevant, up-to-date and in line with ethical standards. His specialties are doing detailed match analysis and covering fan reactions.

Abhishek enjoys music, traveling and going on walks with his three German Shepherds in his free time, along with learning about horticulture.

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Edited by Diptanil