Zach Hyman is on injured reserve with a stiff neck, and the Edmonton Oilers need answers on the wing before puck drop tonight against Calgary.
Mike Babcock delivered the news Wednesday. Brutal timing for a club that just dropped two straight on home ice.
Toronto rolled the Oilers 7-2 on Saturday. Detroit followed up by taking a 4-3 shootout decision Monday night.
Edmonton still owns an 8-2-2 record, so the standings aren't the problem yet.
The home-road split is the weird part. The Oilers are a perfect 5-0-0 away from Edmonton, but just 3-2-2 in their own building.
As for the winger himself, the 34-year-old has dressed for only six of the team's 12 games. One goal, scored on the power play. No assists.
That's a thin return on a $5,500,000 cap charge. The -1 rating doesn't help his case either.
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Oilers injury list grows as Babcock's depth gets tested
Hyman isn't the only body missing. Mattias Ekholm is day-to-day with an upper-body issue and expected out until at least Oct. 31.
Jason Dickinson remains on IR with an undisclosed issue, listed as out until at least today. Whether he's back for the Flames is anyone's guess.
The crease is thin too. Devon Levi is on IR until at least Nov. 9, which leaves Tristan Jarry and his .860 save percentage.
So who soaks up Hyman's minutes?
Think of a kitchen losing a line cook on a Friday rush. Nobody notices one missing plate, but the whole service runs a beat slower.
The top of the lineup hasn't blinked. Connor McDavid has piled up 34 points, and Leon Draisaitl has buried 12 goals.
Below them, it falls off a cliff. Vasily Podkolzin ranks third among Oilers forwards with 13 points, and no other forward has more than five.
Calgary rolls in on a four-game winning streak, and tonight is the first Battle of Alberta of the season.
The Flames are carrying a -13 goal differential, though. Edmonton should be able to push the pace against a team that leaks like that.
Then the schedule turns ugly. The Oilers visit the Islanders on Oct. 31 and the Rangers the next night, a back-to-back before a stop in New Jersey.
Putting Hyman on IR was the right call. Neck trouble in October isn't worth gambling on, no matter how short the bench gets.
But if the depth scoring stays quiet through that road trip, Stan Bowman might not have the luxury of waiting for his winger to come back.
Should Stan Bowman trade for a winger while Zach Hyman sits on IR?
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