ANAHEIM — Hockey people have, over the years, all been part of some wild, contrived team bonding sessions.
Like the time the Oilers’ new, young head coach brought in a retired marine to take the players deep into the mountains for a sleep over — no tents — on an overnight survival exercise that was as rugged as it was ridiculous.
You can cook up all the closeness you want, but nothing brings a team closer than what happened Wednesday night in Anaheim. There, the Edmonton Oilers celebrated a 3-1 win on a night where Ryan Nugent-Hopkins hit 100 points and Jack Campbell found some light at the end of a tunnel that must have seemed 100 miles long.
The spirit that emanated from the post-game dressing room was louder than we’ve heard in seasons. A sign of a team that has the closeness required for the run they hope to make.
“I feel like I got 100 points, I’m so happy for him,” beamed Klim Kostin, who scored and assisted in what was game No. 100 of his NHL career. “He is great guy, great teammate and great person.”
It was a forgettable game on a memorable night for Edmonton, when Connor McDavid picked off a puck with under 2:00 to play in a 2-1 game, the Anaheim net empty.
At that point he could have fashioned an assist for Jack Michaels up in the press box — that’s how good McDavid is — but he sent a puck left to Nugent-Hopkins for a touch, got it back and fed Zach Hyman for his 35th of the season.
You could tell by the bench how much Nugent-Hopkins’ first 100-point season meant to everyone, from the equipment guys to the coaching staff to each and every player.
“It was the most electric empty-netter I’ve been a part of,” said Campbell, only half-joking.
The last time a team had three 100-point players it was Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis for the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins. The last time the Oilers had three players reach the century mark their names were Wayne, Paul and Jari.
“I never really thought I’d I get it, to be honest,” said Nugent-Hopkins, who — at age 29 — is just the sixth NHL player to record his first 100-point campaign in his 12th season or later. “I get to play with some amazing players all through the lineup. We have such a good team in here.
“We’ve got steps that we want to keep taking, but I’m definitely proud to do something like this with this group.”
Dallas Eakins, the Anaheim coach who had Nugent-Hopkins when he coached the Oilers from 2013-15, called him “the most underrated player in the league,” on Wednesday morning.
“He’s the league’s best swiss army knife, for sure,” Eakins said. “He constantly gets left out of the conversation, but he is a big driver of that team, as well. When you’ve got three players like that, things are gonna go well for you.”
They’re going swimmingly for the Oilers, no doubt. They are 11-0-1 in their last 12 games and the best team in the NHL since Jan. 10, going 26-5-6 (.784).
The win pulls Edmonton to within a point of Pacific-leading Vegas and three points ahead of Los Angeles, with the Kings in Sin City to meet the Golden Knights Thursday night.
The Oilers have allowed two goals in total over their past four games, won by scores of 2-0, 6-0, 3-1 and 3-1. This was another snoozer, predictably, after an emotional win over the Kings the night before.
There was a time when the Edmonton Oilers would have grown bored with a game like this, tied at 0-0 halfway through. But there was no cheating for a chance. No blowing the zone, or floating some backhand sauce through three sticks in the neutral zone.
Finally, the third line of Kostin, Nick Bjugstad and Mattias Janmark scored twice, and that was all they needed.
“Sometimes the game goes not the way our top guys want. So we’ve got to step up and help them. That’s what we did today,” said Kostin.
What does 100 NHL games mean to him?
“That I’m not a rookie anymore,” he laughed. “I can take a seat in the (back) of the bus now.”
Campbell, meanwhile, took a step forward, allowing only one goal in six periods against Anaheim. He feels like he has finally found his game.
“Absolutely,” he declared.
“It must feel good for you?” he was asked.
“It does. It’s been a journey,” he smiled.
The regular season journey only has three steps to walk, and the Oilers head into an off day in California Thursday knowing they are playing the best hockey of their season with the playoffs just around the corner.
First place in the Western Conference is still a realistic possibility, especially if they continue to win low event, defensive struggles like they have been.
“We’re not getting frustrated with these tight-checking games. Not trying to force things,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “We’ve matured as a group in here and been able to find ways to win in every situation.”
