The Oilers played the first period of their Tuesday night matchup with Kings as though Los Angeles was playing with an empty net.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins played as though the Kings weren't there at all.
Edmonton posted five goals before the first intermission, and three of them came off Nugent-Hopkins' stick. His second career hat trick helped fuel an 8-4 victory.
Nugent-Hopkins started the Oilers' scoring barrage with a one-timer off a pass from Alex Chiasson 3 1/2 minutes into the period. The eighth-year center found the back of the net for the second time with a wrist shot that wrapped around two Kings players and sneaked into the top left corner of the goal.
Nugent-Hopkins netted another wrist shot with 12 seconds remaining in the period to complete the hat trick. The goal also provided Connor McDavid with an assist and his 109th point of the season, a career high.
NUUUUUUUUUGE! 🎩🎩🎩 #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/MFd9TTObeN
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 27, 2019
Nugent-Hopkins is the seventh Oiler to score a hat trick in the first period of a regular-season game and first since Taylor Hall on March 30, 2013.
By the end of the game, Nugent-Hopkins wasn't the only Oiler with a hat trick; Leon Draisaitl scored his third of the game late in the third period. The last time two Oilers scored hat tricks in the same game was Dec. 20, 1985 (Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey).
MAKE IT RAIN, NUGE! 🎩 #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/TaqSoaA0eS
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 27, 2019
The hat trick gives Nugent-Hopkins 28 goals on the season. He set a career high with his 25th goal on March 21.