Edmonton Oilers’ Zach Hyman scores 50th goal of the season for first time
One of the most underrated players of this generation has reached an exceptional milestone.
On Sunday against the Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman notched his 50th goal of the season, the first time the Toronto native reached the milestone.
It happened on the power play early in the second period, with the 31-year-old deflecting in a shot-pass from captain Connor McDavid on the power play to give the Oilers a two-goal lead at that point of the game.
🚨 50 GOALS 🚨
Zach Hyman has scored 50 GOALS for the first time in his career! pic.twitter.com/NlfxtkuHEu
Hyman becomes the seventh player in franchise history to score 50 goals in a single season, joining legends Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, and Glenn Anderson, along with current teammates McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. He also becomes the 97th different player in NHL history to accomplish the achievement.
So far this season, only Hyman’s former teammate, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has scored 50 goals.
It is a notable mark for Hyman, as the former Michigan Wolverine standout entered the league as a grinder with a knack for finding himself at the right place at the right time. Having played with guys like Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares in Toronto, Hyman was a player capable of scoring 20 goals per season.
However, his luck and production changed when he signed a seven-year contract with the Oilers in July 2021. Hyman was looked at as the guy to give McDavid some grit on his wing, similar to what he did with Matthews. While he has provided those services, Hyman has quickly become an efficient goal scorer.
After scoring 27 during the 2021-22 season, Hyman posted a career-high 36 last year. As Edmonton started to climb out of its early-season slumber this season, his numbers grew exponentially.
At this rate, Hyman will finish this season with 59 goals and 82 points, just one shy of his career-best 83 that he set during the 2022-23 campaign.
The Oilers (42-22-4) are second in the Pacific Division, 10 points back of the Vancouver Canucks for first place in the division, and the entire league.