EDMONTON — The Olympic dream still flickers for Zach Hyman, who has five goals in his last six games alongside the unstoppable Connor McDavid.
Hey, a flicker is better than where we were a few weeks ago, with Hyman waiting for the doctors to let him back into the lineup after dislocating his wrist in last spring’s playoffs.
“I don’t even think about it anymore,” he said of the Olympic dream, answering questions after his sixth hat trick as an Oiler in a 4-1 win over Detroit. “It would be a massive honour … just to be in the conversation is an honour. To be at that (orientation) camp in the summer was an honour.”
If the hands that scored 54 goals two seasons ago — and another 16 in the playoffs — haven’t fully returned for Hyman, he can see them from here. On Thursday, in a solid team win over a game Red Wings squad, Hyman did what he’s been paid to do ever since he came out West from Toronto:
He buried three passes from McDavid: a re-direct from the blue paint; a one-time snipe from the slot, and an empty netter to put Detroit out of its misery.
McDavid closed the night with four primary assists in the 4-1 win, and we know he’ll be in Milan for the Games.
If Hyman catches fire and becomes the same triggerman for McDavid that he’s been in past years, is it fantasy to say that the Team Canada brain trust would see value in bringing him to Italy, the way they brought Chris Kunitz to play alongside Penguins teammate Sidney Crosby back in 2014?
“Obviously I’m biased, but I think all of our Oiler guys should be in the conversation,” McDavid said.
There is some value in the chemistry McDavid and Hyman have forged over the years.
For every Gretzky there’s a Kurri, for every Trottier a Bossy.
Somehow, the inside game Hyman plays meshes perfectly with McDavid's many strengths. McDavid tends to draw defenders away from the net front and out of position, while Hyman has mastered the art of finding the soft spots that are left unattended.
He’s the net front bag man for the game’s best attacking forward. It’s a match made in heaven.
“It's just a mentality,” Hyman said. “For me, I’m around the net, so you’re at the net to score. You’re at the net to try and get open — not just getting tied up. There’s so many little things that go into getting open and trying to score than just the puck hitting your stick and it going in. You really have to work when you don’t have the puck.”
Suddenly, Edmonton has found stability in its lineup, starting with a Top 6 that has remained the same through a 3-1-1 homestand that has produced a far more recognizable team than we’d seen even two weeks ago.
McDavid has been furnished with his familiar wingers: Hyman on the right side and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the left. Leon Draisaitl gets Vasily Podkolzin and — with Jack Roslovic injured — the feisty Matt Savoie on his right side.
That allows the Bottom 6 to stabilize as well, and lo and behold, you end up with a team that has the ability to repeat its performances night after night, a prerequisite of consistent play.
“It's so important,” began McDavid. “We've been flip-flopping (line combinations) like crazy all year long, and just to get some stability throughout the lineup… It's not easy to build chemistry. It's not something that happens overnight.
“To have a little bit of continuity, lines that can start to meet, and talk, and figure out where each other are going to be. I think you're starting to see that.”
Evan Bouchard gave his team 24:34 of solid defensive play Thursday. The penalty kill was perfect in two chances. Stuart Skinner was outstanding in goal.
When all the parts begin to do what they’re supposed to, you get a team that can find some mojo, grabbing seven of the last eight points available on this homestand.
“It’s an insanely competitive league,” said Skinner, his save percentage climbing back up to .891 on the season (.913 since Nov. 22). “Every team is finding ways to win and climbing up the ladder in the standings. For us to get a few wins here was really important. Especially on a homestand, you want to bank as many as you can.”
OIL SPILLS — With two assists Draisaitl edged closer to 1,000 career points. He has 996 … Mattias Ekholm scored a goal to stretch his points streak to four games (1-4-5) … Andrew Mangiapane was dropped to the fourth line Thursday, swapping spots with Trent Frederic, who moved up to Line 3 … After calling up Max Jones Thursday, head coach Kris Knoblauch said they’ll have a defenceman from Bakersfield meet the team in Toronto.
