One of the Edmonton Oilers‘ top forwards is returning just in time for the post-season.
Winger Zach Hyman is set to return to the Oilers’ lineup on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks for the team’s final game of the regular season, head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters Wednesday.
Hyman has missed the team’s last five games with an undisclosed injury. Knoblauch said Wednesday that the team wanted to give him extra time to fully heal and rest ahead of the playoffs rather than rushing him back into the lineup over the last couple weeks.
“If it were a week ago and we were in the playoffs, I don’t think he would’ve sat any time out, but we wanted him healthy and ready for the playoffs,” Knoblauch said. “Zach felt comfortable getting a game in before he hits the playoffs, and he’s cleared and he’s healthy, so I think that’s a good idea to put him in and see what he can do.”
Hyman hasn’t suited up for a game since the Oilers’ April 2 showdown against the Chicago Blackhawks. Since then, the Oilers are 1-4. He did not travel with the team for their most recent three-game road trip.
Hyman, 33, has 31 goals and 20 assists in 57 games for Edmonton this season. He missed 19 games at the start of the season while recovering from wrist surgery, eventually returning to the lineup on Dec. 1.
With a game to go, the Oilers are still jostling for seeding in the Pacific Division. At 40-30-11, they’re two points behind the Vegas Golden Knights and one ahead of the Anaheim Ducks, meaning they could finish anywhere from first to third in the division, depending on the results from each team’s final games of the season.