Edmonton Oilers veteran Zach Hyman is not pulling any punches about his team’s issues ahead of an all-important Game 4 face-off against the Vegas Golden Knights.
While the Oilers have a 2-1 lead in the series, Hyman, who’s in the fourth year of a seven-year, $38.5 million contract, is acutely aware that there’s still a lot of work for them to do before they can seize the series with both hands.
Although the Oilers have made a surprise run thanks to their high-octane offense, the continued defensive mistakes and sloppy puck handling have allowed Vegas to keep pace to a degree.
In a call for better transition defense after winning Game 3, Hyman urged his teammates to take full control.
Oilers’ Zach Hyman Calls for Teammates to be Wary of Vegas Threat
“They got too many rush chances… We gotta eliminate the transition because they’re a really good transition team,” Hyman said.
That weakness became apparent in Edmonton’s 6-5 win last week when the Golden Knights took advantage of turnovers and quick counterattacks. The Oilers’ performance, despite winning the contest, showed several weaknesses in their defensive game.
"They got too many rush chances… We gotta eliminate the transition because they're a really good transition team."
Zach Hyman on what the #Oilers need to clean up heading into tomorrow's Game 4 vs. Vegas.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/pHhpl98HLf
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers)
Following Hyman, coach Kris Knoblauch warned that the Oilers cannot afford to give up the momentum swings, especially in the battle against a smart Vegas team.
To demonstrate that such defensive lapses as Darnell Nurse’s error in Game 3, which resulted in a goal for Sam Bennett, are unwelcome, the Oilers are focused on tightening up their game on neutral ice.
Game 4 at Rogers Place may be the time for Edmonton to seal a 3-1 series advantage, but a good defensive game is needed as well as scoring. It is Hyman’s plain view that this could be the internal driving force they currently lack.
Oilers Look to Regroup After Heartbreaking Game 3 Loss
With the Oilers licking their wounds after a 5-3 loss in Game 3, they will now have to go back to the drawing board.
What could have been an opportunity to create momentum domestically became an emphatic lesson on their defensive shortcomings when the Golden Knights capitalized and made the second-round series a 2-1 draw. Playing Game 4 at Rogers Place, Edmonton, they will need to respond quickly and justify themselves because Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and their teammates stand under heavy pressure.
In the wake of that loss, Knoblauch criticized the Oilers for failing to exercise disciplined possession and for losing the puck too often in high-danger situations.
Though they lost, Edmonton maintains home advantage, and they can still rely on their clinical offense to steady the ship.
But if the Oilers do not tighten up their neutral zone play and restrict Vegas from converting on counterattacks, the series could be over pretty quickly. Game 4 becomes important not just because it provides the Golden Knights a chance to even the series, but because it’s a make-or-break moment for the Oilers’ grit and flexibility.
