Nugent- Hopkins Gets His 1st Hat Trick

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins gets his first carrer hat trick on 3 great goals.

Here is the breakdown on all 3 :

Goal 1: A great powerplay goal on a down low play.  He makes himself available as the puck comes down to Eberle. You will notice Eberle doesn't stickhandle the puck and knows that Nugent-Hopkins will be on the backside.  Nugent-Hopkins does a couple things well:

1) Moves into the puck so he is not standing and waiting, this way he is more available.

2) Stick on the ice and shows his forehand (where the pass is delivered)

3) Stays at the net and finishes a rebound

Goal 2: Off the cycle a slick backhand deflection on net. He makes himself available and times the puck moving into the slot when there is a passing lane from the D-Man.  The key here is the spacing all over the ice:

1) Space off the Vancouver player to keep his stick free.

2) Space off the cycle between him and the other Edmonton players

3) His Space away from the net to allow the puck to change directions on the high tip.

Goal 3: Another PP goal off of a down low play.  Hall does a great job on receiving the pass from Nugent-Hopkins and again without stick-handling moves into the short side stuff. After Nugent-Hopkins moves the puck down low and sees Hall taking it to the net, he follows the play with his stick ready.  He bangs a rebound back on net and it ends up n the back of the net.

Nugent-Hopkins has shown great skill, awareness and poise for a young player.  His Skill Set and Knowledge of the game is that of a seasoned veteran and he will be an exciting player for years to come. 

See you @ THE RINK