The Edmonton Oilers will enter Saturday's road matchup against the Los Angeles Kings with a 40-29-10 record, 90 points and the Pacific Division lead.
Despite seeing some of their best players go down injured during the last few weeks and days, the Oilers have remained in form, winning six of their last eight games and keeping the Vegas Golden Knights and the Anaheim Ducks at a point distance with three games left.
Forwards Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman have been among those missing time of late, with Hyman's injury undisclosed by the Oilers.
Hyman has scored 31 goals and 51 points in 57 games this season, but he's been out of the lineup since logging 16:40 time on ice last Saturday.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Head coach Kris Knoblauch suggested at the start of the week that Hyman could return before the end of the regular season, saying, “I would think (Hyman) could play one if not two games before the end of the season.”
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman went a step further while appearing on the "Oilers Now" show on Thursday, providing much more clarity and revealing Hyman's true status.
“He's going to be fine for the playoffs,” Bowman said. “This is probably a little bit more of a maintenance issue, but it was something that was bothering him, and we felt we wanted to do what we could to give him the best chance of being as healthy as possible for the playoffs.”
Bowman indicated Hyman’s condition has already improved significantly and that he'd already be ready to play if needed.
“That was why he had to miss these games, but he’s ready to go,” Bowman said. “I expect no issues with Zach.”
Knoblauch had previously echoed that sentiment, saying that “If this was a playoff game, he’d be playing” on Sunday.
The Oilers will be on the road on Saturday, facing the Los Angeles Kings with puck drop set for 4 p.m. ET.
