Ryan Nugent-Hopkins once again shining for Edmonton Oilers in post-season

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins collected the puck, moved into the offensive zone and put a pass on a platter for Evan Bouchard to blast home the Edmonton Oilers' opening goal Sunday.

The longest-serving member of Edmonton's roster was at it again moments later, dishing to Connor McDavid for a slick 3-on-1 finish and a 2-0 lead.

Then with his team on its heels in the third period as the Dallas Stars made a desperate push, Nugent-Hopkins helped weather that storm before finding Zach Hyman with a stretch feed for a back-breaking 4-1 advantage that allowed the home side to exhale inside a rocking Rogers Place.

Edmonton centre Leon Draisaitl joked last season the versatile veteran was head coach Kris Knoblauch's favourite player, while McDavid called Nugent-Hopkins the team's "Swiss Army Knife" following an emphatic 6-1 victory in Game 3 of the NHL's Western Conference final.

It's not hard to see why.

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Nugent-Hopkins' three assists Sunday gave him seven points through three contests in this best-of-seven series — tied for the third-most through a trio of conference final games over the last 30 years.

A staple on Edmonton's No. 1 power play, the first forward over the boards when a penalty needs killing, a winger on McDavid's line, and often moved to the middle in hopes of shutting down an opponent late in games, Nugent-Hopkins is Edmonton's man.

"You want players with flexibility — Ryan's that kind of player," Knoblauch said. "Any time you have a player that can do so much, as a coach you're very thankful for it."

McDavid said the value Nugent-Hopkins brings can't be overstated.

"He's asked to do everything every single night," said the Oilers superstar captain. "He's playing really,