Zach Hyman #18 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates a first-period goal. The Oilers entered Thursday’s matchup as the clear underdogs. While the Red Wings were coming off a three-game winning streak, Edmonton had just dropped its last game to the Buffalo Sabres in an overtime loss. But once the buzzer went off, the Oilers showed a totally different side.While Connor McDavid hit four assists for the night to push himself to the top of the assists leaderboard, it was returning right wing Zach Hyman who was the miracle man yesterday, as his three goals made sure that the Oilers came out on top against an in-form Detroit side.
Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman continue points streak in Oilers’ victory over Detroit
The Oilers thoroughly demolished the Red Wings last night after both McDavid and Hyman showed glimpses of their excellence. Hyman, who returned from a long injury last month, has already started compensating for his time lost on the shelf.But Hyman wasn’t the only Oiler who was in top form yesterday. Mattias Ekholm netted a goal in the second period to double Edmonton’s lead, while Stuart Skinner saved 27 shots to make sure that the Red Wings were limited to just one goal for the night.McDavid, meanwhile, continued his dominance, as his four assists marked the 43rd time in his career that the center scored four points in a single game. The Oilers captain has netted five goals and seven assists in his last four games and continues to drive his team for a playoff spot.Hyman, meanwhile, continues to make the most of his time back on the roster, as he opened the scoring for the Oilers at the 14:25 mark in the first period with a power play goal. Detroit goalie Cam Talbot didn’t even see what hit him as McDavid quickly passed the puck to Hyman, who netted the goal.In the process, McDavid once again showed that, despite getting the chance to score goals, the Oilers captain prioritized assists if it meant more success. Detroit, for its part, quickly reduced Edmonton’s lead as Simon Edvinsson pushed a shot into the net on a quick odd-man rush to bring the score to 2-1.However, the duo of McDavid and Hyman wasn’t just satisfied with winning the game with a margin of just one goal. So at the 17:48 mark, McDavid made a backhanded pass to the right-winger, who then slotted it quickly to take back their lead.The third period saw Hyman push towards the sixth hat trick of his career as he put the puck inside the net with less than 77 seconds remaining in the final period. The scoreline read 4-1 in Edmonton’s favor by the time the game concluded, with the Oilers having absolutely demolished Detroit.It pushed McDavid to the number two spot on the points leaderboard at 48 points, with only Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon having a lead over him. Hyman, meanwhile, continues to be productive, extending his points tally to nine points in 16 games since his return.Also Read: NHL Hart Trophy Rankings: Nathan MacKinnon dominates as Avalanche star tops MVP contenders