Oilers’ Zach Hyman sets record for most goals in a playoff run in the salary cap era

Late in the second period of Game 6, Zach Hyman scored a big goal that also set an NHL record.

With the Panthers pressing to get on the scoreboard before the second intermission, Gustav Forsling fired a low-percentage shot from the point which went off Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and right into the middle of the ice. Hyman was in position to grab the loose puck and took it the other way where he made no mistake on his breakaway opportunity.

That goal was his 16th of this postseason, which established a new record for most of the salary cap era. He surpassed Sidney Crosby (2009) and Alex Ovechkin (2018), who finished with 15 goals in their respective playoff runs that ended with them each hoisting the Stanley Cup. If Hyman were to score a hat trick on Monday, he would tie Reggie Leach and Jarri Kuri for the all-time record of 19 tallies in a single postseason run.

The goal was also Hyman’s 70th of the 2023-24 campaign, combining the regular season and playoffs, with Auston Matthews being the only other player this year to have achieved this feat. Of course, 69 of Matthews’ goals came during the regular season while Hyman needed 23 playoff games to hit the feat but that does not take away from the impressive accomplishment nonetheless.

It is another incredible feat for the 32-year-old forward who is undoubtedly playing the best hockey of his life right now and continues to prove he was worth the investment the Oilers made for him back in 2021. The Leafs’ mistake of not meeting his contract demands has been Edmonton’s gain, and now both he and the team sit one win away from completing an improbable comeback to end the 34-year drought.

Regardless of how Monday’s Game 7 goes, Hyman has been dynamite for the Oilers this season and his on-ice chemistry with Connor McDavid has played a big role in why they sit on the precipice of the Cup. Not bad for a guy making $5.5 million a year for the next four seasons after this one.

You can catch the season finale on Sportsnet and CBC with puck drop slated for 6 p.m. MDT.