Oilers top-six winger Zach Hyman will not play in Thursday’s Game 5 of the Western Conference Final against the Stars and isn’t expected to return if Dallas manages to extend the series with a win, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 reports.
Hyman left Game 4 win midway through the first period with an apparent upper-body injury and did not return. He left the ice while favoring his right shoulder/upper arm area after an awkward neutral zone collision with Stars winger Mason Marchment. He went to the locker room shortly thereafter (video link).
Now in his fourth playoff run with Edmonton, Hyman has again been a first or second-line constant, although his linemates have remained in flux. He’s recently settled in on the top line alongside Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, which has been the most dominant line of the series so far. At 5-on-5, the trio has outscored Dallas 3-0 while outshooting the Stars 20-8 and out-chancing them 19-9.
After an underwhelming regular season, Hyman has rediscovered his game in the playoffs. He’s not quite at last year’s level of postseason dominance (16-6–22 in 25 GP), but he’s still tied for fourth on the Oilers with five goals, ranks fifth with 11 points and sits third with a +10 rating. He’s also logged 111 hits, 41 more than any other Oiler and first in the league by a significant margin.
He’s a significant loss as Edmonton looks to close out the series and secure a second straight Stanley Cup Final appearance in Game 5, and an even more significant one if he’s unavailable for any SCF action. Since signing with the Oilers in free agency in 2021, Hyman has 35 goals, 25 assists and 60 points in 68 playoff games – eighth in the league over the past four seasons.
Without Hyman, Edmonton will need to continue receiving solid secondary scoring from names like Evander Kane and Corey Perry and strong goaltending from the resurgent Stuart Skinner, who’s up to a .939 SV% in the series. If the Panthers advance with a Game 5 win over the Hurricanes Wednesday and the Oilers win Thursday, the Stanley Cup Final could presumably start as early as Saturday night – and it’s almost a certainty the Oilers would be without Hyman for that potential Game 1 if he wouldn’t be available for a potential WCF Game 6 that night either.
