The Oilers can’t catch a break. Just as they rolled out an exciting new lineup Friday night, star forward Zach Hyman got hurt and had to leave the game early.
It started out promising. The team was testing a fresh look, putting Hyman and Adam Henrique together on the first line to spread out their offensive firepower.
That experiment didn’t last long.
Hyman left during the first period, and while he did make it back to the bench later on, he only managed two shifts in the third period. For a player who usually logs heavy minutes, seeing him play just half his normal ice time isn’t a good sign.
"It wouldn’t be Oilers without a worry," said team analyst Allan Mitchell. "Hyman’s injury is a big damned deal, and it’s possible someone is flying coast to coast [Saturday]."
Mitchell’s right – the team might need to call up a forward from their AHL affiliate pretty quickly to fill the gap.
The silver lining? The Oilers still managed to grab the win, even with their lineup shuffled. But losing Hyman for any length of time would be a tough blow for a team that’s been on fire lately.
The next 24 hours should tell us more about how serious the injury is and who might be getting that cross-country flight call.
