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Zach Hyman has been putting together the best season of his career by far with the Edmonton Oilers this year, and he's just two goals away from reaching the 50-goal mark for the first time of his career. He could earn that prestigious achievement against his old team in the Toronto Maple Leafs when they face off on Saturday night, but it doesn't sound like it's going to come easy for him if you ask William Nylander.
Hyman took big steps forward over the first two seasons he spent with the Oilers, but he has taken things to a new level this season, as he's racked up 48 goals and 19 assists through 66 games. When it comes to getting those two final goals, though, Nylander is intent on making sure his former teammate doesn't score them against him, and he relayed an epic message to Hyman ahead of the game.
Via Chris Johnston:
“William Nylander on Zach Hyman: ‘He's two from 50 … Not tonight.'”
William Nylander looking to make Zach Hyman wait to reach 50-goal mark
Hyman and Nylander both broke into the NHL in 2016 with the Maple Leafs, and gradually turned themselves into the stars they are nowadays over the next few years. Both guys have taken massive superstar leaps over the past three years, and they have remained friendly with each other even though they play on different teams nowadays.
Unsurprisingly, there is a bit of added competitive juice heading into this game for Hyman, as he can record the first 50-goal season of his career against his old team if he nets two goals on the night. And on the other end, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to find out that Nylander doesn't want that honor to come against him and the Leafs.
As if there wasn't already enough on the line between two of the top teams in the league, Hyman's individual accolade chase adds some more intrigue to this game. Assuming he doesn't suffer some sort of serious injury, there's no doubt he will reach the mark eventually, but you can bet that he wants to get it against his old team.
Nylander and the Maple Leafs may have other plans, though. While they are allowing 3.13 goals per game, they are going to be fired up for this big meeting with another playoff contender in the Oilers. After thrashing the Washington Capitals 7-3 on Wednesday night, Toronto is going to be eager to keep up the momentum, which can be done in part by shutting down Hyman.
Since they are both attackers, chances are Nylander isn't personally going to prevent Hyman from scoring in this one, but it's a unique battle within the battle that will surely captivate fans given the ties Hyman has with the Maple Leafs. This is an awesome statement from Nylander, but now Toronto is going to have to step up and keep Hyman quiet, or else they will further be reminded of the mistake they made by letting him leave in free agency.
