OilersNation has reported:

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is set to become the Edmonton Oilers’ all-time leader in regular-season games played when he takes the ice for his 1,038th game against the New Jersey Devils. He will pass Kevin Lowe, who held the franchise record, 15 years and 24 days after Nugent-Hopkins made his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 9, 2011.

Nugent-Hopkins scored the tying goal in the third period of that debut before Edmonton won 2-1 in a shootout. His career has since included 294 goals, 517 assists and 811 points, along with a place among the club’s longest-serving players. The milestone game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will be carried on SN+.

The forward has played with 132 teammates at his position. Leon Draisaitl has shared the ice with him for the most games, 870, while Bogdan Yakimov, Seth Griffith, Curtis Hamilton and Milan Kytnar each played one game alongside him.

Among defencemen, Nugent-Hopkins has had 80 teammates. Darnell Nurse leads that group with 798 games together; Bryan Rodney, Jason Demers, Dmitri Samorukov and Phil Kemp each appeared with him once.

He has also played with 26 goaltenders. Cam Talbot tops that list at 227 games, while Tyler Bunz, Matt Tomkins and Matt Berlin each played once as his teammate.

Nugent-Hopkins has worked under 11 head coaches, in sequence: Tom Renney for 164 games, Ralph Krueger for 48, Dallas Eakins for 113, Craig MacTavish for five, Todd Nelson for 46, Todd McLellan for 266, Ken Hitchcock for 62, Dave Tippett for 161, Jay Woodcroft for 133, Kris Knoblauch for 233, and Mike Babcock for 15 games and counting. He has also had 24 assistant coaches.

His point totals include 555 games in which he recorded at least one point and 191 multi-point games. He has had two five-point performances, nine games with four points, 41 with three points and 139 with two points.

Nugent-Hopkins entered the league midway through what became known as Edmonton’s Decade of Darkness. He missed the playoffs in each of his first five seasons, qualified in 2017, then missed again in 2018 and 2019. He is now tied with Draisaitl and Connor McDavid for 11th on the Oilers’ playoff games list, with 102 appearances.

A deep playoff run of 18 games this season would move the trio past Wayne Gretzky into seventh place. Nugent-Hopkins’ career totals also rank him 255th all-time in regular-season goals, 170th in assists and 189th in points. He is on pace to surpass 1,000 points before retiring; 103 players have reached that mark, and an estimated nine or 10 active players could do so before him, which would still leave him among a group of about 115 players with 1,000 points.

He has two more years on his existing contract and is expected to pass 1,200 games as an Oiler. His 1,038th game would rank 67th in games played for a single franchise. The only active players with more games for a franchise who are now with different teams are Steven Stamkos, with 1,082 for Tampa Bay; Brad Marchand, with 1,090 for Boston; and John Carlsson, with 1,143 for Washington.

Others still adding to their totals with the same franchise include Patrick Kane, with 1,176 games for Chicago; Mikael Backland, with 1,161 for Calgary; Viktor Hedman, with 1,176 for Tampa Bay; Kris Letang, with 1,249 for Pittsburgh; Jamie Benn, with 1,266 for Dallas; Evgeni Malkin, with 1,282 for Pittsburgh; Drew Doughty, with 1,291 for Los Angeles; Sidney Crosby, with 1,434 for Pittsburgh; and Alex Ovechkin, with 1,586 for Washington. The account of the milestone describes just nine NHL players as still with their first NHL team after playing more games than Nugent-Hopkins.

His value to Edmonton has often been described through his consistency and ability to contribute across the ice. During the 2024 playoff run, Draisaitl praised his teammate’s all-around play.

“He’s just so valuable in every facet of the game,” said Draisaitl. “He touches every part of the game. Have you guys ever seen him make a mistake? I really haven’t.”

“He is a such a smart, good hockey player, and I think he is probably the coach’s (Knoblauch) favourite player in the world.”

Knoblauch was asked later whether Nugent-Hopkins was indeed his favourite player. He answered with a joke before describing the forward’s role.

“I’ve always got a favourite player, it just depends on the day. But Ryan brings a lot to our team, whether it is five-on-five, transporting the puck, making plays, scoring goals and he’s a big part of the power play. He is a great facilitator to help make the power play work.”

Babcock, who had coached Nugent-Hopkins for only a few weeks, also spoke positively about him.

“He’s a real hockey player,” said Babcock. “He’s beyond smart, he makes the right plays all the time. He knows how to play, and we are really lucky to have him.”

“I’ve been excited to watch him play and he’s just going to get better and better as he gets in better shape.”

The account of his career describes a player who rarely relies on speed or physicality to stand out, with hockey sense and an ability to read the game as his main strengths. Coaches have used him in important situations, and Draisaitl and Knoblauch have highlighted his contributions at five-on-five and on the power play.

Nugent-Hopkins has also fought five times in his NHL career, with several of the bouts drawing attention from fans. His first fight came in Vancouver on Oct. 11, 2014, during the third period of a game in which Edmonton was shorthanded and leading 4-3. He fought veteran Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis; Vancouver went on to win 5-4 in an overtime shootout.

Two and a half years later, on Feb. 11, 2017, he accepted a challenge from Vinnie Hinostroza and fought him in Edmonton. On Jan. 29, 2020, while fans were waiting for Matthew Tkachuk and Zack Kassian to fight, Nugent-Hopkins dropped the gloves first against Sean Monahan. Both players lost their helmets and threw punches, drawing cheers from the crowd and players on both teams.

His fourth fight came on March 1, 2023, after Justin Holl hit Kailer Yamamoto. With Edmonton leading Toronto 5-2, Nugent-Hopkins skated over to Holl and challenged him, then beat him in the fight. His latest bout came on Dec. 29, 2025, after Neal Pionk hit him from behind; Nugent-Hopkins became angry and the two had what was described as an entertaining scrap.

The Oilers entered the game with a 3-0-2 record this season in games when neither McDavid nor Draisaitl scored a goal. Across the previous two seasons, they were 8-22-3 in those circumstances.

Defenceman Evan Bouchard was approaching a separate milestone. He had 8 goals and 18 assists, for 26 points and a plus-22 rating, through his first 15 games. Six points in his next five games would give him the most points by a defenceman through the first 20 games of a season in the 2000s.

Quinn Hughes recorded 8 goals and 23 assists for 31 points and a plus-15 rating in 2023-24, while Cale Makar had 5 goals and 25 assists for 30 points and a plus-18 that season. John Carlson had 8 goals and 22 assists for 30 points and a plus-15 in 2019-20. Bobby Orr holds the overall record with 39 points in his first 20 games, a feat he achieved twice, in 1973-74 and 1974-75.

Edmonton’s projected lineup placed Vasily Podkolzin with McDavid and Draisaitl; Dach with Nugent-Hopkins and Kasperi Kapanen; Formenton with Dickinson and Joseph; and Jones with Michaels and Hallander. On defence, Ekholm was paired with Bouchard, Shea with Murphy, and Mukhamadullin with Walman, with Jarry listed in goal.

Walman was returning after sitting out the previous three games. The lineup assessment said the coaches, DJ Smith and Babcock, would need to help him regain his form, adding that regular benching rarely helps a player emerge from a slump or feel that the coaches believe in him.

Trent Frederic was the last forward off the ice after the morning skate and appeared likely to leave the lineup for Max Jones. The assessment questioned the move, saying Jones had done little when playing, while Frederic had avoided defensive mistakes and looked fine in limited minutes. It argued Edmonton needed Frederic playing because he offered more, drawing a comparison to the need to return Walman to the lineup.

In his previous six starts, all in October, Tristan Jarry had a combined .926 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average. The assessment called his play solid.

New Jersey’s projected forwards were Meier with Hischier and Evangelista; Gritsyuk with Hughes and Bratt; Mantha with Rodrigues and Boqvist; and Lombardi with Glass and Brown. The defence pairings were L. Hughes with Pesce, Siegenthaler with Hamilton, and Chisholm with Kovacevic, with Hellebuyck in goal.

Connor Hellebuyck was 2-0 since joining the Devils and had faced 18 shots in one game and 21 in the other, largely because New Jersey had controlled possession. On Sports 1440 the previous day, Kevin Woodley described why the goalie and the team’s approach could fit well together.

“The Devils have created the most high-danger chances, and that allows them to not give up many chances, because they have spent so much time in the offensive zone. But in two games, their predictable defensive structure has been a great fit for Hellebuyck. Tomorrow against Edmonton will a good test of their structure,” said Woodley.

The game-day prediction was that Edmonton would continue its road success, improve to 8-0 away from home and give Nugent-Hopkins a victory on his milestone night. OilersNation’s accompanying photograph showed Nugent-Hopkins during a Jan. 17, 2026, game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, with the Oilers forward on the ice during a second-period stoppage. The image was credited to Bob Frid-Imagn Images; another photograph showed Hamhuis and Nugent-Hopkins fighting at Rogers Arena on Oct. 11, 2014, and was credited to Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports. The game-day article’s Photoshop credit was Tom Kostiuk.