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The Edmonton Oilers moved within one victory of their second straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final after a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 4 on Tuesday night — but they lost Zach Hyman in the process.
The right winger left the contest after taking a hit from Stars forward Mason Marchment midway through the first period and didn't return. It certainly didn't look good with Hyman favoring his shoulder as he went down the tunnel.
Although there is no concrete update on his status as of yet, his availability for a potential series-clinching Game 5 in Texas on Thursday is certainly in question.
Despite the huge loss, superstar forward Leon Draisaitl believes that, even without the ‘wrecking ball,' the team can come out on top in the Western Conference Final for the second straight year.
“That’s a big loss,” Draisaitl admitted after the game, per The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman. “Collectively, I think we have what it takes to make up for it.”
Even without Hyman for most of Game 4, the Oilers rode another terrific performance from Stuart Skinner along with a few timely goals to take a 3-1 stranglehold in the series.
Edmonton is looking to take out Dallas in the West Final for the second straight year, and they're just one victory away from putting their rivals to bed. But things will get a lot harder if Hyman — who has scored five goals and added six assists in the postseason — is forced to miss any time.
Oilers lament loss of Zach Hyman
“It’s big hole to fill,” said Corey Perry, who scored the game-winner on Tuesday. “He brings a lot to our team, a lot to our lineup. He’s a workhorse. He means everything. He’s a dog on a bone on the puck. When he’s forechecking and hitting and finishing like he did last game, that’s Zach Hyman.”
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“He’s a top player for us,” echoed defenseman Brett Kulak. “Tough to lose anybody, but especially he brings an element to the game and to our team that not too many guys around the league can bring to their team. It was tough to see him leave. Hopefully, he’s all right.”
After losing Hyman, the Oilers stepped up in a big way. The Stars managed 16 shots on Skinner in the first period but only directed 13 towards the in-form netminder the rest of the way.
Skinner, like usual, was a brick wall, making 28 saves on 29 shots.
“The way that we responded was fantastic,” Skinner said. “You saw a lot of guys step up, skate hard, hitting guys the way Hymes has been hitting. It’s really important to respond like that when something like that happens.”
The Oil will hope for good news on the former 54-goal scorer, but now the focus turns to Game 5 at American Airlines Center on Thursday night. Edmonton will be looking to do just what it did against the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 2: win the series on the road in five games.
If that happens, the Western Conference juggernauts will have another chance at capturing Lord Stanley for the first time since 1990 this June.
