VANCOUVER — Edmonton will dress a thinner forward group for Thursday’s rematch with the Vancouver Canucks, with Zach Hyman sidelined by an upper-body injury and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins already on injured reserve.
- Hyman, 34, will miss Thursday’s game at Vancouver after being listed day to day. Coach Mike Babcock suggested the absence could last closer to two weeks.
- The Oilers’ top-line center was hurt in Edmonton’s final preseason game against the Calgary Flames on Saturday, but still logged 20:33 in Tuesday’s 6-5 overtime loss to Vancouver.
- Hyman did not record a point in the opener. Last season, he posted 31 goals and 21 assists in 58 games.
- Across 712 regular-season games with Edmonton and the Toronto Maple Leafs, Hyman has 261 goals, 234 assists and 495 points.
- His absence removes a key piece from Edmonton’s first line and top power-play unit. Hyman scored 10 power-play goals last season as the Oilers led the League at 30.6 percent with the man advantage.
- Edmonton went 1-for-4 on the power play in Tuesday’s season-opening defeat.
- Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton’s second-line center, is also unavailable after suffering a lower-body injury in Monday’s practice. He was placed on injured reserve Wednesday.
- Center Josh Samanski has been recalled from AHL Bakersfield on an emergency basis. The 24-year-old is set to make his season debut and will play his 25th NHL game.
What it means for Thursday in Vancouver
The Oilers enter the 10 p.m. ET puck drop at Rogers Arena with two top-six centers out after only one game. Edmonton is 0-1-0 following Tuesday’s overtime loss, and Babcock is still sorting through options in his first season behind the Oilers bench.
Babcock framed the short-handed situation as an opening for unfamiliar faces to claim work. He said the coaching staff must learn what the new and younger players can provide, while those players have a chance to establish themselves in a role.
“It might not look ideal,” Babcock said in substance, “but it can be ideal in another way. Early adversity does not hurt anybody. We have to dig in.”
Samanski gets that opportunity immediately against the Canucks, while Edmonton tries to find enough offense without Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins.
