Ex-Wolverine Zach Hyman is proving the Edmonton Oilers right for committing to him long term.
Hyman has scored a playoff-best 16 goals on their run to the Stanley Cup Final, the latest of which helped send the series to a deciding Game 7 against the Florida Panthers on Monday night.
His contributions are a big reason they have even gotten to this point, and Hyman is now making a case to be considered among the best free agent signings since the NHL salary cap era began in 2005.
The Oilers signed Hyman in the summer of 2021 to a seven-year contract worth $38.5 million, a $5.5 million annual salary cap hit that is a bargain based on his production since joining Edmonton. He set a career high in scoring his first season, followed it up with 83 points the next and 54 goals this year.
Hyman at the time was 29 and was coming off seasons with moderate production as a secondary piece of the Toronto Maple Leafs led by Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares. But Edmonton general manager Ken Holland’s son Brad worked for the Leafs, so he got a front row seat to what Hyman could do.
The Oilers did not necessarily expect him to be a 50-goal scorer, maybe 25, but they knew they needed a player like Hyman to complement Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the rest of the core.
“We liked the way Zach played: He went to the blue paint, he forechecked, he cycled,” Holland said. “Cycle, go to the blue paint, hang on to pucks, bring character and leadership.”
Hyman with his Game 6 goal Friday night showed not only that character but hustle and speed, winning the race to the loose puck and scoring to set off a wild celebration in the crowd.
“I was just in the moment,” Hyman said. “It didn’t feel so long in the moment. Trying to race to the puck, and I didn’t have much time when I got it. I was at the hash marks. I obviously settled it and made a move and beat him.”
The all-time record for goals in a single post-season is held by Reggie Leach, who scored 19 goals in 16 games during the 1976 playoffs with the Philadelphia Flyers. He was the playoff MVP that season despite losing in the final.
Only eight players – Mike Bossy did it three times – have scored more goals in a single postseason than Hyman, who has one more opportunity to add to that total and arguably cement himself as the best player to sign as an unrestricted free agent over the past two decades.
Chicago’s Marian Hossa and Boston’s Zdeno Chara have two of the best cases right now. Hossa and the Blackhawks won the Cup three times from 2010-15, and Chara hoisted it as captain of the Bruins in ’11.
No matter how this final ends, Hyman has made the Oilers’ investment well worth it.
“What he’s doing this year, no one could have predicted it,” teammate Mattias Janmark said. “He just never stops. He’s a unit out there. He does so much for us.”
Fantilli switches to No. 19
Ex-Wolverine Adam Fantilli is switching his number with the Columbus Blue Jackets to No. 19 from No. 11.
Fantilli wore No. 19 in his only season with the University of Michigan in 2022-23. He had 30 goals and 35 assists in 36 games with the Wolverines.
Last year, Fantilli had 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games with the Blue Jackets.
Panthers changes?
Florida coach Paul Maurice has been fiddling with his fourth-line wingers throughout the playoffs, mixing and matching Ryan Lomberg, Nick Cousins, Steven Lorentz and Kyle Okposo. He has those options after GM Bill Zito acquired Okposo and 2019 Cup champion Vladimir Tarasenko at the trade deadline.
All four have played in the final with center Kevin Stenlund the one constant. Maurice inserted Cousins in Game 6 for some fresh legs and a different look.
“I think there’s a chemistry of Lomberg, Stenlund and Cousins because they’ve played together so much this year,” Maurice said.
After losing three in a row, Maurice’s adjustments from the fourth line and beyond could play a crucial role in the chances of the Panthers avoiding a historic collapse.
Scoring first
The Panthers scored the first goal in Game 1 when Sergei Bobrovsky got a shutout and again in Game 3 when they went up 3-0 in the series. They are 9-2 in the playoffs when scoring first.
The Oilers scored first in their Game 2 loss, then in Games 4, 5 and 6 to even the series. Obviously, every team wants to get the first goal of any game, but Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said playing with the lead “allows you to play your game.”
“Any time you score first, it calms a lot of jitters,” Knoblauch said Sunday on a video call with reporters. “It also forces the opposition to open things up a little bit more and maybe not play with as much defensive structure as they would like just because they’re trying to get back in the game and forcing to score that next goal, so, it kind of alleviates a little bit of pressure on your team.”
Panthers regroup for Game 7
It’s the greatest offer a team could get at the start of every season: Reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and as an added bonus, play host to it in your rink.
One game. For everything.
“Yeah, 32 teams are all-in on that idea,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said.
This is the reality for the Maurice and the Panthers. On one hand, the Panthers have blown a 3-0 series lead against the Edmonton Oilers in this Stanley Cup Final. On the other, there’s still Game 7 on Monday night in Sunrise, Florida.
And before his team took off on the 5 1/2-hour flight back home from Alberta on Saturday, Maurice insisted his team will focus on the opportunity that awaits, not the opportunities that were wasted while losing Games 4, 5 and 6 by 8-1, 5-3 and 5-1 scores.
“I’m not concerned about the past at all,” Maurice said. “Our plan is set. It started last night after the game. Met this morning, did video, do the same tomorrow, get ready to play. I know it’s 3-3. The concern of the previous three games certainly didn’t affect Edmonton and it won’t affect us.”
There are lots of numbers swirling around right now and really, none of them are good for the Panthers. The Oilers became just the third team in Stanley Cup Final history to go down 3-0 in a series and force Game 7; the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs did it and beat the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7, while the Wings erased a 3-0 deficit against the Leafs in 1945 but then lost the finale.
And these Oilers are now the sixth team to have three consecutive games with at least five goals in the title series. The other five – Pittsburgh in 1991, Edmonton in 1984, the New York Islanders in 1981, Toronto in 1932 and Montreal in 1919 – all won the Cup.
“It’s nice to be around this team because I think they’re having the time of their lives right now,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Not just because we’re going to Game 7, but I think we were having a great time when we were down three games.”
The Panthers are not having a great time. That could change Monday. Or else.
The stigma of being the first team since 1942 to waste a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final is the sort of thing that could haunt a franchise for a long, long time. It will inevitably bring questions about the futures for many people in the organization. It could bring a sudden end to all the momentum Florida has built in the last four years, after spending much of the previous two decades being largely irrelevant.
Or they could just win Monday and solve all those problems.
“Embracing that is the key to it,” Maurice said. “Feeling positive about and feeling excited about it, and that’s coming. Both teams get that opportunity to feel fired up. Game 7, Stanley Cup Final, it is set for every young man’s dreams. Nobody ever dreamt about a Game 4 overtime winner. It’s always Game 7.”
Oilers join 9 teams to force 7 after 3-0 deficit
The Edmonton Oilers aren’t the first team in the NHL to fight back from 3-0 down in a best-of-seven series to force a deciding contest.
This is the 10th time it has happened in 211 opportunities in NHL history and the first in 10 years. Based on history, the momentum from three straight wins doesn’t always carry over into a Game 7.
Only four of the nine previous teams to fight back and force a seventh game finished the job, with the Los Angeles Kings the last to pull off the feat in the 2014 first round against the San Jose Sharks.
Here’s a look at how those other nine teams that forced a Game 7 after trailing the series 3-0 fared:
2014 Kings vs. Sharks, first round
Los Angeles fell into a 1-0 hole early in the second period at San Jose before rallying once again. The Kings got a tying goal from Drew Doughty a few minutes later and Anze Kopitar scoried the tiebreaking goal late in the second period. Los Angeles added three goals in the third, including two empty-netters, to start another title run with a 5-1 win. Jonathan Quick made 39 saves.
2011 Red Wings vs. Sharks, second round
Detroit had won three straight tight games to even the series but fell behind quickly in Game 7 in San Jose. The Sharks got first-period goals from Devin Setoguchi and Logan Couture to take the lead and Patrick Marleau added a key insurance goal in the third for his first point of the series after the Red Wings pulled within one. San Jose held on for a 3-2 win but lost in the next round to Vancouver. Antti Niemi made 38 saves.
2011 Blackhawks vs. Canucks, first round
Defending-champion Chicago fought back in the series against the Presidents’ Trophy winners and then did it again in Game 7 on the road. Jonathan Toews scored a short-handed goal to tie the game at 1 with 1:56 to play. Vancouver then killed off a penalty early in overtime before Alex Burrows scored his second goal of the game to win the series. Roberto Luongo made 31 saves. The Canucks made it to Cup final before losing in seven games to Boston.
2010 Flyers vs. Bruins, second round
After falling behind 3-0 in the series, Philadelphia fell into a 3-0 hole in Game 7 in Boston in less than 15 minutes. The Flyers battled back to tie the game late in the second period on a goal by Daniel Briere and won it in the third when Simon Gagne scored on a power play following a penalty for too many men on the ice. Philadelphia made it to the Cup final before losing to Chicago.
1975 Islanders vs. Flyers, semifinals
One round after pulling off a 3-0 comeback against Pittsburgh, New York almost did it again. The Islanders fought back in the semifinals to force a Game 7 in Philadelphia but were no match for the Flyers. Gary Dornhoefer scored 19 seconds into the game to set the tone and Rick MacLeish had a hat trick in a 5-1 win for Philadelphia.
1975 Islanders vs. Penguins, quarterfinals
New York’s first playoff run was a memorable one, highlighted by the comeback in the quarterfinals against Pittsburgh. Coach Al Arbour made a goalie change after falling behind 3-0, benching Billy Smith in favor of Chico Resch. That paid off in big fashion with four straight wins, capped by a 1-0 win on the road in Game 7. Ed Westphal scored with 5:18 to play and Resch made 30 saves in the shutout.
1945 Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs, Stanley Cup Final
Three years after blowing a 3-0 lead to Toronto, Detroit tried to return the favor in the Cup final. The Red Wings forced a Game 7 in a series when they didn’t score a single goal until Game 4. Mel Hill scored in the first period for Toronto in Detroit. The Red Wings tied it midway through the third but Babe Pratt scored on a power play with 7:46 to play to give the Maple Leafs the Stanley Cup.
1942 Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings, Stanley Cup Final
Toronto became the only team in the major North American sports leagues to complete a comeback from 3-0 down to win a championship series. The Red Wings scored first on the road in the second period but fell apart in the third. Sweeney Schriner scored twice in the third period and Pete Langelle had the tiebreaking goal to give the Maple Leafs the title.
1939 Rangers vs. Bruins, semifinals
Long before the Red Sox raced back from a 3-0 series deficit to beat the hated Yankees in the 2004 AL Championship series, there was nearly another 3-0 comeback in the Boston-New York rivalry. The Rangers fought back after losing the first three games of the semifinals to force a seventh game at Boston Garden. The teams traded goals in the second period and the game stayed tied until the third overtime when Mel Hill scored the winner for Boston.
NHL final
(Florida vs. Edmonton)
(Series tied 3-3)
▶ Game 1: Florida 3-0
▶ Game 2: Florida 4-1
▶ Game 3: Florida 4-3
▶ Game 4: Edmonton 8-1
▶ Game 5: Edmonton 5-3
▶ Game 6: Edmonton 5-1
▶ Game 7: Monday, June 24 at Florida, 8 p.m.
Eastern Conference
Third round
Florida vs. N.Y. Rangers
(Panthers win 4-2)
▶ Game 1: Florida 3-0
▶ Game 2: New York 2-1 (OT)
▶ Game 3: New York 5-4 (OT)
▶ Game 4: Florida 3-2 (OT)
▶ Game 5: Florida 3-2
▶ Game 6: Florida 2-0
Western Conference
Third round
Edmonton vs. Dallas
(Oilers win 4-2)
▶ Game 1: Edmonton 3-2 (2OT)
▶ Game 2: Dallas 3-1
▶ Game 3: Dallas 5-3
▶ Game 4: Edmonton 5-2
▶ Game 5: Edmonton 3-1
▶ Game 6: Edmonton 2-1
Second round
Eastern Conference
Carolina vs. N.Y. Rangers
(Rangers win 4-2)
▶ Game 1: Rangers 4-3
▶ Game 2: Rangers 4-3 (2OT)
▶ Game 3: Rangers 3-2 (OT)
▶ Game 4: Hurricanes 4-3
▶ Game 5: Hurricanes 4-1
▶ Game 6: Rangers 5-3
Boston vs. Florida
(Panthers win 4-2)
▶ Game 1: Boston 5-1
▶ Game 2: Florida 6-1
▶ Game 3: Florida 6-2
▶ Game 4: Florida 3-2
▶ Game 5: Boston 2-1
▶ Game 6: Florida 2-1
Western Conference
Colorado vs. Dallas
(Stars win 4-2)
▶ Game 1: Avalanche 4-3 (OT)
▶ Game 2: Stars 5-3
▶ Game 3: Stars 4-1
▶ Game 4: Stars 5-1
▶ Game 5: Avalanche 5-3
▶ Game 6: Stars 2-1 (2OT)
Edmonton vs. Vancouver
(Oilers win 4-3)
▶ Game 1: Canucks 5-4
▶ Game 2: Oilers 4-3 (OT)
▶ Game 3: Canucks 4-3
▶ Game 4: Oilers 3-2
▶ Game 5: Canucks 3-2
▶ Game 6: Oilers 5-1
▶ Game 7: Oilers 3-2
