Oilers Surprising Hero Earns Praise From Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice in the Edmonton Oilers' 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, but after the game, he made sure to give credit to Connor Ingram.

The goaltender was called up from the Bakersfield Condors on short notice and thrust into action with the Oilers dealing with uncertainty in net. Nugent-Hopkins was asked about Ingram's performance, given the quick turnaround from getting called up to suddenly playing with the team. His assessment was glowing.

Nugent-Hopkins said Ingram gave the Oilers exactly what they needed in the early going, making key saves and keeping Edmonton in the game while they found their legs.

"I thought he was outstanding early, just solid, got in front of everything, and was really good at handling the puck too. So that goes a long way," he continued.

Outstanding Early On

Ingram's puck-handling ability was particularly valuable. Modern NHL goaltenders need to be able to play the puck effectively to help their team break out of the defensive zone, and Ingram showed he could do that at the NHL level.

Nugent-Hopkins acknowledged the Oilers probably made things harder on Ingram than they needed to later in the game.

"He gave us a chance early, and we kind of fed off that. Obviously he probably gave up too many to make it pretty tough on him late, but he held in there," he explained.

Defensive Commitment

A reporter asked Nugent-Hopkins if the uncertainty with goaltenders coming and going and getting hurt has made the team more focused on tightening up defensively. His response showed the kind of team-first mentality the Oilers need to succeed.

"I think it's just the way the season's kind of ramping up at this point. You have to tighten up defensively, and I think we've been doing a great job as of late."