EDMONTON, AB – Goaltender Stuart Skinner stood his ground by making 39 saves, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins recorded two goals – including the winner with 8:59 left in the third period – for his second straight multi-point performance on Saturday afternoon in a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres at Rogers Place.
After Alex Tuch opened the scoring for the Sabres with 3:32 left in the first period, winger Jeff Skinner notched his eighth tally of the campaign just 17 seconds later for Edmonton before Nugent-Hopkins erased another one-goal deficit during the middle frame with the finish off a terrific deke from Kasperi Kapanen.
Nugent-Hopkins buried his 15th goal of the season in the final frame after being set up in the right circle by defenceman Darnell Nurse, lifting the Oilers to a 3-2 lead that would stand thanks to Stuart Skinner's stellar afternoon between the pipes for the Oilers to pick up his 19th victory of the campaign.
"I think we've just learnt a bit quicker this year," Skinner said. "It probably felt a lot worse than what it actually was, but the way that we've been playing, it says a lot about the group and how mature we are and how much mental resiliency we have."
The Oilers passed the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division with the two points, going 2-1-0 over three games without captain Connor McDavid in the lineup due to suspension, including back-to-back wins over the Sabres and Canucks.
"It's obviously our goal to keep racking up points and get as high as we possibly can, so it's nice to see that," Nugent-Hopkins said. "But a long way to go, and the job's not finished here."
The Oilers will continue their season-high six-game road trip on Monday against the Seattle Kraken.