Oilers' Hyman likely out for remainder of playoffs

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Edmonton Oilers guardant Zach Hyman is improbable to play again successful the Stanley Cup playoffs aft suffering an wounded successful Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against the Stars connected Tuesday.

Hyman was wounded midway done the archetypal play successful a collision with Stars guardant Mason Marchment. The winger was clipped astatine the blueline and instantly near the crystal portion favoring his close arm/wrist. He did not return.

Coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed Wednesday the latest connected Hyman's status.

"Zach's play is astir apt done," Knoblauch said. "He's having country today. We're not expecting him back."

Knoblauch declined to specify the nonstop wounded Hyman suffered. But Hyman's lack volition permission a important spread successful the Oilers' lineup astatine a important juncture of their season. Edmonton has a 3-1 bid pb implicit Dallas successful their best-of-7 bid pursuing Tuesday's 4-1 victory. The Oilers person a accidental to beforehand to their 2nd consecutive Stanley Cup Final with a triumph successful Game 5 astatine Dallas connected Thursday.

That becomes a taller task though without having Hyman available. He leads the NHL playoff tract successful hits with 111 successful 15 games portion adding 5 goals and 11 points connected the scoresheet. Not lone does Hyman skate connected the Oilers' apical enactment with Connor McDavid, but he's besides a fixture connected their powerfulness play and an important punishment killer.

Edmonton volition person to instrumentality a by-committee attack to filling successful the gaps.

"He's enactment everything retired there," Knoblauch said of Hyman. "What he's done the past 2 years successful the playoffs, he's scored galore important goals successful the playoffs, and this twelvemonth [it's not just] scoring cardinal goals, but the carnal department, however galore hits helium had. His two-way play was tremendous. And you cognize present that we're going to beryllium missing him, we're going to request different guys measurement up."

The Oilers person already tapped into their extent during this series. Connor Brown was retired for Game 4 aft helium took a precocious deed from Stars defenseman Alexander Petrovic successful Game 3. Knoblauch said Brown won't play successful Game 5 either, though helium was "doing well" and determination is anticipation helium tin instrumentality sooner than later. Viktor Arvidsson reentered the lineup for Brown aft sitting retired since Game 3 of Edmonton's second-round bid against Vegas.

Knoblauch felt Arvidsson -- who played 11:54 and registered 2 hits -- was capable to execute contempt the agelong layoff.

"He hadn't played for a mates weeks and to travel into an situation similar that against a bully squad astatine this constituent of the play [was good]," Knoblauch said. "And past helium conscionable continued to get better. In the 3rd period, helium mightiness person been 1 of our champion forwards. He won a batch of puck races. Made immoderate bully plays. His crippled was benignant of what we expected. He played the mode we privation to play, and we'll request much of that from Viktor, due to the fact that with missing guys, particularly connected the close broadside with Hyman [out], it's an accidental for him to measurement up and play a much important role."

The main connection is for everyone dressed for Edmonton to expect Dallas' champion crippled Thursday. The Stars person been outscored 16-8 successful the bid truthful acold and person conscionable 3 goals astatine even-strength. Even though Dallas has pressured Edmonton with awesome unit they've been stymied by a terrific Stuart Skinner successful nett (who has a .939 SV% and 1.76 GAA successful the series) and an opportunistic Oilers squad that's made Dallas wage astatine 5-on-5 and peculiar teams.

The Stars person their backs against the partition now, but Knoblauch insists his nine won't instrumentality thing for granted arsenic they look to instrumentality a 2nd consecutive league title.

"I deliberation our assurance with our guys conscionable being mature successful their experience, they don't beryllium excessively precocious oregon excessively low," Knoblauch said. "It's not that they would ever deliberation that we got this nether wraps. That is decidedly ne'er the lawsuit with this team. They cognize however hard it is to triumph that past deciding game, and they besides person a batch of respect for the Dallas Stars, knowing that they're a bully team. I deliberation we're conscionable adjacent keeled."