Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will have a new title when he takes the ice against the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
Nugent-Hopkins became the team’s all-time leader in games played following Edmonton’s 4-3 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night in Newark, N.J.
The former No. 1 overall draft pick played in his 1,038th game with Edmonton on Tuesday, notching a goal and an assist against the Devils, who ended a three-game winning streak by the Oilers.
Nugent-Hopkins, 33, moved past Hockey Hall of Fame member Kevin Lowe, who played in 1,037 games over 15 seasons in two stints with the Oilers.
“I’m very lucky and fortunate to have been able to hit this milestone with this team,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “It really is a testament to a lot of these guys in this room, and not just the players but the staff, the trainers that have been here for my entire career.”
Captain Connor McDavid set up a goal against New Jersey to extend his season-opening assist and point streaks to 16 games. He has 31 assists and 40 points, helping Edmonton to an 11-2-3 start.
Before surrendering three goals against the red-hot Devils, the Oilers had allowed just one goal during their three-game winning streak.
“All in all, I think we’re trending in a good spot and trending in the right direction,” Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said.
The matchup with Anaheim will mark the start of a four-game homestand.
“We’re finding our game a little bit, and it takes time,” Oilers forward Kasperi Kapanen said. “This road trip, I think, has been a success. We’re just going to continue this at home. Every day we come to work and try to get better and know the system better.”
The Ducks opened their three-game Canadian swing with a 5-4 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.
Cutter Gauthier notched his second straight hat trick, becoming the first player in team history to accomplish that feat. He has eight goals in the past three games overall.
“Kind of surprised some of those other legends before me haven’t done that with how good they were,” Gauthier said of the back-to-back hat tricks. “Obviously, a really special moment, but really happy we got the two wins (in a row) and we can keep this thing going.”
Six of Gauthier’s goals during his hot streak have come on the power play, making him the first player in NHL history with multiple power-play goals in three straight games.
Gauthier and Paul Kariya (2000-01) also are the only Anaheim players with multiple goals in three consecutive games.
“Something you definitely dream of as a kid,” Gauthier said of sharing a record with Kariya. “Very blessed to be in this position.”
The Ducks went 3-for-3 on the power play against the Canucks, improving to 10-for-12 with the man-advantage in the past three games and moving to No. 1 in the NHL in efficiency at 38.0 percent.
Anaheim finished 23rd in the NHL with the man-advantage in 2025-26 (18.6) and last in 2024-25 (11.8).
“As a group, every time we go out there, we think we’re going to score,” Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke said. “We’re rolling pretty hot right now.”