Oilers Edge Sabres 3-2, Nugent-Hopkins Scores Twice

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored two goals to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, marking their second consecutive win. The Oilers improved to 31-15-3 and took first place in the Pacific Division, one point ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights, despite being without captain Connor McDavid, who was serving a suspension. Jeff Skinner also contributed a goal for the Oilers, while Stuart Skinner made 39 saves in net. The Sabres, now 18-26-5, saw goals from Alex Tuch and Jiri Kulich but failed to capitalize on their power play opportunities. A late chance for Buffalo to tie was negated after video review confirmed Kulich had kicked the puck into the net. Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl ended his points streak at eight games, as the team continues to perform well without their star player.