Hyman’s Hard Work Lifts Oilers in Gritty Win Over Red Wings
So this game between the Oilers and the Red Wings might not have been the cleanest, prettiest hockey you’ll ever watch, but it turned into one of those nights where the story was written by pure effort. And the guy who embodied that effort—once again—was Zach Hyman. His sixth career hat trick wasn’t just a scoring feat; it was basically a showcase of what happens when a team leans into hard, physical hockey and refuses to let a messy game slip away.
Right from the start, Detroit looked like the more dangerous team. They hit posts, missed open looks, and probably felt like the hockey gods owed them a goal or two. But that’s the unforgiving part of the sport—good chances don’t matter unless they’re finished, and Edmonton took full advantage of that grace. The Oilers walked out of the first period with the lead, even though it easily could have gone the other way.
Also Read:And who opened it up? Hyman, of course. He parked himself in front of the net on the power play, glided into the right spot, and tapped in a crisp pass from Connor McDavid. That kind of goal is classic Hyman—simple, tough, and earned. The man has built an entire career on doing the unglamorous stuff: standing in the hard areas, battling for position, taking cross-checks, and still finding a way to finish. His goals feel like the natural result of a blue-collar work ethic.
As the game went on, Edmonton clearly decided the physical route was the way to go. The hit count kept climbing—13 hits in the first, 21 by the second, and 25 by the time the night wrapped. Detroit was on the second half of a back-to-back, and the Oilers used that fatigue like a lever. Every loose puck, every moment along the boards, Edmonton pushed harder. It wasn’t finesse—they just wore the Red Wings down shift by shift.
Hyman’s second goal came off a ridiculous, no-look, through-the-legs feed from McDavid. One of those plays you can watch ten times and still shake your head at. And the hat trick? That almost didn’t happen. He hit the post on the empty net. Podkolzin hit the crossbar. Finally, McDavid sent him the puck with a warning not to dish it back, and Hyman buried it with zero hesitation.
Behind all of this, McDavid quietly stacked up four assists, Draisaitl added two more, and Stuart Skinner put together a solid 27-save performance. But what really stood out was the mentality. This wasn’t an Oilers win built on highlight-reel talent—it was built on desperation, on hitting harder than Detroit, on forcing chances when clean ones wouldn’t come.
It’s the kind of win good teams pick up when they’re honest with themselves: sometimes the pretty stuff isn’t there, and you just have to grind. Edmonton did exactly that, earned a gritty two points, and moved on. Sometimes, ugly hockey is winning hockey—and tonight proved it.
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