Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' Injury Fate Confirmed by Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch

At this time of year, everyone still active in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is banged up in some capacity, but unfortunately, some are in much worse positions than others with Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals upon us.

Unfortunately for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, he's one of those players in doubt, as he was reportedly not active at practice on Sunday according to Tony Brar, with Game 3 set for Monday night in Florida.

Now, Kris Knoblauch has opened up on RNH's availability for a pivotal Game 3, and at this point, it's not looking good, as the Oilers have officially declared him as a game-time decision for Monday.

If he were to miss the game with Zach Hyman already out for the playoffs, it would be a major blow to the Oilers, who already find themselves behind the 8-ball after splitting their two home games with the Panthers, and if they drop both on the road, things will start to get much, much tougher for this team.

While Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl drive the play and the success of this team in the post-season, the depth has been critical for them, with Nugent-Hopkins tallying a fantastic 5 goals and 18 points through 18 games of the post-season thus far.

With so much on the line, if he's able to battle through and take to the ice, expect to see him out there in Game 3, but with Jeff Skinner as a solid replacement waiting in the wings, the Oilers are very confident in this series regardless of his status.