Kris Knoblauch Says "There's A Chance" Zach Hyman Returns Very Soon

Some good news on the injury front for the Oilers.

Zach Hyman skated in practice today for the first time since leaving the Oilers' game in Ottawa on November 19th. He's been day-to-day ever since, with his original timeline of 4-7 days being extended to 5-8 days on Monday.

Hyman also spoke to the media after practice, confirming that he'll join the team on their three-game road trip, though he's still projected to be out of the lineup for Friday and Saturday's games.

"Very frustrating, obviously," Hyman told reporters. "Like any player, I don't like missing games, I love playing hockey so I love being out there with the guys."

"It's out of my control, just hoping to get better day by day," he added.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch echoed Hyman, saying that Hyman is still on track with his timeline and feeling much better.

"There's a chance he's playing on this road trip sometime," Knoblauch told reporters after practice. Judging by his previous comments on Monday, that would put Hyman on track to return for Tuesday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

This injury is just one part of what's been a trying start to the year for Hyman. Just one year removed from a 54-goal campaign and leading the league in playoff goals, Hyman has only 3 goals and 8 points in 20 games this season.

That reduced production is almost entirely the result of bad luck. After enjoying a career-high 18.6 shooting percentage last season, that figure has dipped down to an unsustainably low 5.9% this year.

MoneyPuck has him as the unluckiest shooter in the league, crediting him with a league-worst -6.3 goals above expected. His 9.3 xG ranks 18th in the league, just ahead of former linemate Auston Matthews.

"He does a lot of things well," Knoblauch said. "His biggest contribution is the goal-scoring, this year it hasn't been quite the same, but you know that the goals are going to come."

"He's a pretty good player."

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