And the Edmonton Oilers lineup reads as follows:
RNH - McDavid - Hyman
And that's about it.
Vintage. Classic. A one-man show times three. Whatever you want to call it, the Oilers needed a game like Sunday's 4-3 win over Vegas.
They needed a game where the top line creates an early lead that takes pressure off a goalie returning to the NHL from a very personal battle with mental illness. They needed Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zach Hyman to carry everything because asking anyone else to do it wasn't going to work. Not on the second night of a back-to-back. Not with Connor Ingram making his first NHL start since March.
This was a big deal. More than a few people were a little nervous about it. Ingram hadn't played in the NHL since entering the Player Assistance Program to deal with personal challenges. His return came on no rest, against a Vegas team that just lost and would be looking to respond. The margin for error was small, and everyone knew it.
McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins, and Hyman played the right way from the opening shift. And thank God they did, because a loss on Sunday night, after everything Ingram's come back from, just wouldn't have been fair.
McDavid opened the scoring at 9:11 of the first period, taking a short pass from Leon Draisaitl after gaining the zone, circling in from the right dot and gliding across the front of the crease before sliding the puck past Carter Hart. It was, of course, one of those goals you'll watch three times over again and still not comprehend how something so difficult looked so effortless.
Nugent-Hopkins scored twice on the power play. His first came midway through the second period. His second came early in the third to push the lead to 4-1. Had it not been for an out-of-control third period, the Oilers would have certainly pushed for a hat-trick.
Alas, Ingrams first start back in the NHL was on the line.
“It doesn’t really matter who’s back there for us," began Nudgent-Hopkins. "We want to play as best we can in front of them.”
Hyman scored as well, continuing a strong recent stretch. He's found his game over the past month—forechecking, winning battles, being where he needs to be, same old. Sunday was no different. He wasn't the story, but he was part of why the story had a happy ending.
“It definitely shouldn’t matter (who's in net) the way we play," continued Nudgent-Hopkins. "We’re looking for consistency in our game, consistency in our defensive game.”
They got consistency for thirty minutes give or take, then they watched a 4-0 lead turn into 4-3. Vegas scored twice in less than ten minutes, and a game that felt comfortable became very uncomfortable very quickly. Edmonton stopped skating. Stopped forechecking. Stopped doing all the things that built the lead in the first place.
That's a bit scary. Actually, it's more than a bit scary. When you're trying to support a goalie making his first NHL start in nine months, letting the opponent score twice in one period and turn a three-goal lead into a one-goal game is the opposite of helpful.
But Ingram stayed calm; he stayed composed.
"It's awesome. It's awesome to see a guy get rewarded," Hyman said when asked about Ingram. "I thought he played great. We gave up a lot of chances there in the third and, yeah, we bent, but didn't break and I thought he was a huge part of that.
"Whoever's playing, you have to play well in front of them," Hyman continued. "Want to make life easy for a goalie, especially a new goalie. He doesn't necessarily know all the systems or anything like that, right? They're just learning. So you want to make sure that everything's predictable and yeah, I mean, I thought we did a good job of it for the most part."
For the most part is right. The first two periods were exactly what Ingram needed—early goals, a controlled game, manageable chances. The third period was a bit uncomfortable. Unpredictable. Chaotic. The kind of hockey that tests a goalie's resolve and forces him to make saves he shouldn't have to make while trying to protect a lead that shouldn't have been in question.
But McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins, and Hyman had done their job by then. They'd built the lead. They'd taken pressure off Ingram when it mattered most. The third period was a problem—one the Oilers need to fix before it costs them a game—but it wasn't enough to undo what the top line accomplished in the first thirty minutes.
Sunday night was exactly what it needed to be for Ingram's return. The Oilers scored early. They gave him support. They made his job easier by controlling the game before Vegas could establish any rhythm. The third period got scary, and they'll need to address why, but Ingram got his first NHL win since returning from the Player Assistance Program.
Sometimes you need games where the lineup card might as well read: RNH - McDavid - Hyman. And that's about it.
Sunday night was one of those games. Those three played the right way. Ingram held on when it got difficult. The Oilers won despite making it harder than it needed to be.
And thank God they did.