Edmonton Oiler Hyman leaving mark in NHL playoffs with hits, not goals

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Edmonton

Zach Hyman was a scoring instrumentality a twelvemonth ago. The Edmonton Oilers winger has evolved into a deed instrumentality successful this year's NHL playoffs.

Zach Hyman leads NHL with 99 hits this post-season, portion signaling 3 goals, 5 assists

Donna Spencer · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 24, 2025 2:47 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

A representation    of a hockey subordinate    successful  afloat  instrumentality  connected  the ice.

Left winger Zach Hyman leads the NHL successful hits this post-season, successful summation to scoring 3 goals and assisting connected 5 others. His point-production is little than past year's playoffs, erstwhile Hyman scored 16 goals and dished retired six assists. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

Zach Hyman was a scoring instrumentality a twelvemonth ago. The Edmonton Oilers winger has evolved into a deed instrumentality successful this year's NHL playoffs.

Hyman leads each players with 99 hits successful the post-season with Panthers guardant Sam Bennett adjacent with 72 entering Saturday's Game 3 of the Eastern Conference last betwixt Florida and the Carolina Hurricanes.

Hyman delivered a team-leading 9 checks Friday erstwhile Edmonton blanked the Dallas Stars 3-0 successful Game 2 of the Western Conference final.

"He's benignant of a bull retired there," said teammate Evander Kane.

The Oilers took a 1-1 divided location for Sunday afternoon's Game 3 astatine Rogers Place.

Hyman was the NHL's starring extremity scorer successful past year's playoffs with 16 aft a regular play successful which helium cracked the 50-goal people for the archetypal clip successful his career.

The 31-year-old from Toronto has been much quiet in the accumulation section this post-season with 3 goals and 5 assists successful 13 games, but noisy against opposing players' bodies.

Oilers caput manager Kris Knoblauch said Hyman has gone from a starring extremity scorer successful the NHL to the starring "hit guy."

"You tin person immoderate subordinate wanting to decorativeness checks, but you besides person to person consciousness of however to get determination and besides having the speed. Zach's softly a precise speedy player. He's fast. He tin get up and down the ice," said Knoblauch. 

"When helium tin get there, he's not turning away. Very seldom he'll not decorativeness his check. It's paid dividends successful the archetypal 2 rounds and hopefully it pays dividends successful this circular also."

A antheral   wearing a white-blue-and-orange hockey azygous   connected  the crystal  rink checks an opponent, successful  a black-and-silver uniform, against the boards.

Hyman, left, checks Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty into the boards during opening circular of the playoffs. (Mark J. Terrill/The Associated Press)

The six-foot-one, 201-pound Hyman, who turns 32 connected June 9, has stayed connected the close broadside of the instrumentality delivering checks with conscionable six punishment minutes successful the playoffs. Hyman ranked 5th connected his squad successful hits during the regular season.

"I'm not going and looking for hits oregon chasing it, but if there's an accidental to beryllium physical, it's the playoffs. It's not the regular season," Hyman said.

Knoblauch has deployed assorted guardant enactment combinations, but Hyman has spent much clip precocious connected the helping of Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Any Oiler alongside McDavid aims to springiness him the other half-second oregon half-metre of crystal for the skipper to enactment his violative wizardry.

McDavid, with 3 goals and 17 assists, is tied with teammate Leon Draisaitl and Stars guardant Mikko Rantanen for the playoff points pb with 20.

As for the request Hyman is filling, McDavid points to Edmonton's altered benignant from past twelvemonth erstwhile the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup last against Florida and mislaid successful a Game 7.

"It's astir apt not arsenic tally and gun. It is astir apt not arsenic entertaining to ticker for the folks astatine home, but we're winning games and that's each that truly matters," McDavid said.

"Guys are doing everything they tin to assistance this squad win."

Vasily Podkolzin and Evander Kane person dealt retired their stock of bruises with 58 and 53 hits respectively successful the playoffs. Kasperi Kapanen besides brings a carnal marque of hockey with 17 successful his 4 playoff games this season.

Kane said the much Oilers who are hitting opponents, the better.

A antheral   successful  a white-blue-and-orange hockey azygous   celebrates connected  the crystal  aft  his squad  scored a goal. The opponents, successful  green-white-and-black uniforms, look   defeated down  him.

Hyman cheers aft teammate Brett Kulak scored during the 2nd play of Game 2 against the Dallas Stars connected Friday. The Oilers unopen retired the Stars 3-0 to necktie the Western Conference Final. (LM Otero/The Associated Press)

"It makes it harder connected the different team, makes it harder connected the referees to cardinal successful connected guys," helium said. "When you person everybody doing it, it tin deterioration connected the different teams, make turnovers and violative scoring opportunities."

The Stars took a 2-1 pb successful Game 3 of past year's league last against the Oilers, but Edmonton claimed the best-of-seven bid successful six games to scope the Cup final.

McDavid volition acquisition an day playoff puck driblet for the archetypal clip successful a vocation of 87 playoff games.

Sunday's Game 3 starts astatine 1 p.m. section clip successful Edmonton, which makes for a speedy turnaround aft the 2nd crippled successful Dallas.

"Whatever squad is acceptable to rotation is going to person the advantage," the skipper said. "It's got to beryllium us."

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