Any concerns that Edmonton might gag on this one were put to rest with Zach Hyman’s empty netter in the waning moments of a too-close-for-comfort 3-1 decision at the Honda Center.

With everything going on around them — two massive wins over the Los Angeles Kings in the last six days and the playoffs less than two weeks away — it would have been easy to look past a road game against the worst team in hockey.

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Fortunately for the Edmonton Oilers, there was no need for the Anaheimlic maneuver Wednesday.

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Any concerns that Edmonton might gag on this one were put to rest with Zach Hyman’s empty netter in the waning moments of a too-close-for-comfort 3-1 decision at the Honda Center.

It was a night that offered up feel-good moments at both ends of the ice, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins reaching 100 points and Jack Campbell turning in another great performance in goal.

“Ryan is very popular in the organization and with the players and coaches,” said head coach Jay Woodcroft. “To see someone like that hit a milestone of that magnitude is very exciting for everybody.

“And for Jack to give up one goal in his last two games is a credit to all the work he’s put in. I’m happy for him.”

Edmonton’s third line of Klim Kostin, Nick Bjugstad and Mattias Janmark staved off the upset with a pair of second-period goals three minutes apart while Campbell and Edmonton’s shut-down defence did the rest.

“I thought it was a real positive that some other people picked up the slack on the scoring side of things,” said Woodcroft, whose club has allowed just two goals against in the last 12 periods.

“It was a good road win. Anaheim worked hard tonight.”

Campbell, fresh off a 6-0 shutout win over these same Ducks in his last outing, improved to 21-9-4 on the season with his fourth straight win.

“It does (feel good),” said Campbell. “It’s been a journey. Sometimes it takes a lot longer than I want but I’m trying to keep it rolling.”

The subplot to this game was whether or not Nugent-Hopkins would hit the 100-point mark for the first time in his NHL career, making Edmonton just the second team since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguin to have three players in triple-digit scoring.

He came in with 99 but it was looking like he’d have to wait till Saturday afternoon in San Jose, until he assisted on Hyman’s empty netter to reach the century mark in his 12th season.

“Connor picked it up and I saw him scan the ice looking for me,” grinned Nugent-Hopkins. “Extremely special. I’ve been with this group for 12 years. I’m proud to be able to do it with them. I get to play with some amazing players all through the lineup.”

The 29-year-old was mobbed by his teammates on the ice and in the dressing room. They seemed just as happy about the milestone as he is.

“I feel like I got 100 points today,” laughed Kostin. “I’m so happy for him. Great teammate, great person.”

“He’s just a first-class guy, it’s a joy to come to the rink and hang out with him,” added Campbell. “He’s just a great human being and a pretty amazing hockey player.”

The woeful Ducks came in on an eight-game losing streak and with two wins in their previous 14 games while Edmonton came in on a five-game winning streak and a 12-1-1 record in their previous 14.

So this was as close to automatic as you’re going to get in a professional sports league. And the low-event contest offered very little in the way of drama or aesthetics.

Not that there wasn’t plenty at stake: the Oilers moved three points ahead of the Kings to further solidify home-ice advantage in the first round if they can’t track down the first-place Vegas Golden Knights, who are one point ahead with a game in hand.

The Kings play the Knights on Thursday.

After a scoreless and uneventful first period, Kostin finally got things going midway through the second, scoring his 11th of the season in the 100th game of his career to make it 1-0 Edmonton.

The third line kept it rolling from there, with Bjugstad scoring at 12:46 on a nice feed from Kostin to make it 2-0 at the second intermission.

“Sometimes the game doesn’t go the way our top guys want so we have to step up and help them and that’s what we did today,” said Kostin.

Nobody told the Ducks that they were supposed to take a knee and accept their defeat, though, so they made it interesting on Troy Terry’s marker with 15 minutes to go in regulation.

But Hyman’s 33rd of the season into an empty net sealed it with 1:42 to go.

Edmonton’s 43 wins in regulation is second only to the Boston Bruins (50).

E-mail: [email protected] On Twitter: @Rob_Tychkowski

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