The Edmonton Oilers just got hit with some devastating playoff news. Star winger Zach Hyman is done for the rest of their Stanley Cup run and needs surgery.
The injury happened in Game 4 against Dallas when Hyman tried to dodge a hit from Mason Marchment. Though he mostly got out of the way, Marchment caught his arms, twisting Hyman’s upper body. You could tell something was wrong right away – Hyman dropped his stick and skated straight off the ice.
He never came back to the game.
This is a huge blow for the Oilers. Hyman’s been on fire since coming to Edmonton in 2021, scoring 27 goals this season – second best on the team. He’d already put up 5 goals in these playoffs.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Edmonton. Their roster was already pretty top-heavy, and now they’re losing one of their most reliable scorers.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has stepped up big time, with four straight multi-point games in this Western Conference Final. But they’ll need more guys to fill the gap.
Evander Kane needs to find his scoring touch again – he hasn’t put one in the net since Game 4 against Vegas last round.
Sure, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are playing out of their minds, as usual. But even superstars need support, and losing Hyman makes that harder.
The Stars might see this as their chance to get back in the series. They’re facing elimination and could really use the boost. It’s weird – Dallas probably has the NHL’s deepest group of forwards, but you wouldn’t know it from this series.
Mikko Rantanen still hasn’t scored. Young gun Wyatt Johnston hasn’t registered a point in seven games. And veterans Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene? Just one goal between them this entire postseason.
If Dallas wants any shot at turning this around in Game 5, those guys need to start producing. Now.
