EDMONTON, AB – Zach Hyman will be placed on Injured Reserve ahead of Wednesday’s Battle of Alberta against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Place, leaving the Edmonton Oilers without another veteran presence while they hope two others in Jason Dickinson & Mattias Ekholm are cleared to play.
Head Coach Mike Babcock led his morning media availability by announcing that Hyman will be placed on IR with a ‘stiff neck’ as the team takes a cautious approach with the 33-year-old after he hit his head on the glass during the second period of Monday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
Having been limited to only six games this season after missing two weeks with an upper-body injury earlier this month, Babcock said they feared that it could've been the same issue, but confirmed that it's a different ailment from the one he suffered at the beginning of the campaign.
Hyman was on the ice for this morning’s optional skate, signalling that the issue isn’t serious, but he’s poised to spend at least the minimum of seven days on IR, which includes tonight’s game against Calgary and this weekend’s back-to-back against the Islanders and Rangers as part of their upcoming three-game road trip to New York.
“We're just being extra cautious,” Babcock said. “Originally when you see it, you think, ‘Maybe it's a head thing,’ and then you find out it's the neck. So that's a real good thing. We just thought lineup-wise, we can be extra cautious."
