HIGHLIGHTS
- Zach Hyman had surgery on Wednesday
- The Edmonton Oilers forward is “likely” to miss the rest of the playoffs
- Read below for the full scoop on Hyman’s injury status
The Edmonton Oilers are one win away from another Stanley Cup appearance, but they will have to battle it out for a potential title without one of their best players.
Forward Zach Hyman suffered an injury in Game 4 on Tuesday evening against the Dallas Stars, ultimately exiting in the first period after a hit from Mason Marchment. Hyman was seen grabbing his arm in pain, and on Wednesday morning, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch announced the veteran is having surgery and he won’t likely play again in the playoffs, per The Athletic. Knoblauch didn’t reveal any specific details about the injury.
Hyman has been solid for the Oilers in their hopeful Cup run, scoring five goals and tallying six assists. More importantly, he’s a physical force. The winger leads the postseason with 109 hits in just 14 games. Sam Bennett is second at 82. Hyman was on track to set an NHL Playoffs record in hits.
In fact, Hyman has surpassed his career-high already in the playoffs. Check out this ridiculous stat:
That’s wild. Despite losing Hyman early in Game 4, the Oilers got it done, securing a 4-1 victory on home ice. They can now close out the series on the road.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has 10 points in the series already and supplied three assists in Tuesday’s win, expressed how the Oilers grabbed this victory for Hyman:
“Part of it felt like we were doing it for Zach, to get the job done,” Nugent-Hopkins said.
Knoblauch also reacted to Hyman’s absence, making it clear others must rise to the occasion:
“He’s put everything out there,” Knoblauch said. “Now that we’re going to be missing him, we’re going to need other guys to step up.”
If the Oilers do face the Florida Panthers once again, which seems likely, they will need to bring all the physicality they can. Edmonton’s depth at right wing is also hurting after Connor Brown sustained an injury on Tuesday as well.
It’s time for the Oilers to dig deep, and that means everyone stepping up and doing their part on both ends of the ice.
