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The Day After 77.0: Draisaitl-less Oilers will have to adjust to life without Hyman
Photo credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
By Zach Laing
Apr 5, 2026, 17:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 5, 2026, 16:31 EDT
First Leon Draisaitl. Now Zach Hyman.
For the second year in a row, the Edmonton Oilers will be playing short key bodies down the stretch.
While they dropped Saturday night’s affair 5-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights, allowing them to tighten the Pacific Division, it’s what came after the game that was of more concern. Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said Hyman wouldn’t be travelling with the team on their upcoming three-game road trip.
“Zach will stay at home, and hopefully he’ll be able to join us for that Monday game, or at the latest, Vancouver,” said Knoblauch after the game, wherein before the game, he acknowledged that “if this were a playoff game, he’d be playing.”
That’s good news, at least.
Without two-thirds of the nuclear line, the Oilers struggled against the Golden Knights on Saturday. Vegas had some bounces go their way, which helped get their night going and keep it so, as the Oilers got snuffed out from high-danger scoring chances. Thus, Edmonton’s winning streak ends at five games.
“When things are going well, you forget about those details — those first couple of strides coming back, you get a little extra aggressive on the pinch. You’re just maybe overconfident, get a little bit lazy or whatever it is. I think we’re just not paying attention to those details. One goal, just not chasing your stick back to the middle of the ice. It’s just a lot of stuff that we just got to clean up and easily fixable.”
It’s good news that it’s easily fixable, as they’ll need to this coming week. The Oilers’ schedule will take them on the road to face the Utah Mammoth, San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings, and while the Oilers and Ducks sit tied atop the Pacific Division, the Golden Knights now sit just one point back.
These games will be crucial for the Oilers if they want to secure home-ice advantage in the playoffs.
“Obviously, this is not the same team without them, and there’s guys that have been stepping up and we’ve been doing a great job in their absence,” said defenceman Jake Walman. “It gives more opportunity, but at the same time, there’s those spots that you can’t replace certain guys, like you said, on that one-timer and power play and possession of the puck, so obviously we miss those guys for those reasons.”
What they said…
Trent Frederic on what was said when both teams gathered near the benches after the game…
“Yeah. I mean, it’s just the bickering back and forth. Everyone telling everyone they make too much money and stuff like that, which is all true.”
Curtis Lazar on the Oilers being more physical in games…
“As the league goes on throughout the season, it tightens up, you know, it’s harder to score goals, the details, the physicality, all that. It’s mandatory, you know, and I’m liking our response, being able to turn momentum in the games and not backing down from the fight. So, if the game wants to get chippy, you know, we’re more than willing to play that way.”
Kris Knoblauch on what led to the loss…
“I thought we were adequate tonight, but the story, where we lost it, was off the rush, giving up chances off the rush, whether it was a bad pinch, forwards not coming back. All four of their goals and pretty much most of their chances off that. You know, we only generated one goal, but You know, I thought we probably should have maybe had a couple more chances, goalposts, just missing the net. So maybe we could have generated a little more offensively. But I think the story was just the chances we gave up off the rush.”
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
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