Zach Hyman and Derek Ryan both suit up for 500th game with Edmonton Oilers
Derek Ryan #DerekRyan
Zach Hyman is halfway to a grand.
The Edmonton Oilers forward played in his 500th game Thursday against the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Place in the regular-season finale.
Hyman, 30, has been a member of the Oilers for 155 of those regular-season games, having signed with Edmonton as a free agent two years ago.
Derek Ryan, 36, also played his 500th NHL game, having taken a more circuitous route to get to the league.
“You remember No. 1 for sure; the first game. I don’t remember 100, 200, 300, 400, but 500 is pretty cool,” Hyman said prior to the game. “It means you’ve been around for a while and it’s cool to share it with Derek Ryan — we’re both at 500 tonight, it’s pretty cool.”
Hyman is in the second year of a seven-year contract with the Oilers. The Toronto product began his career with his hometown Maple Leafs where he played 345 games in the regular season and 32 in the playoffs, never getting out of the first round.
Hyman played 16 playoff games with the Oilers last season as they got to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2006, and hopes to go on another long playoff run this year.
“Getting to 500, it’s not so much the games,” Hyman said. “It’s the pre-game meals, the naps, the preparation that goes into it. It’s definitely a special milestone.”
Hyman has excelled with the Oilers since joining the club. He had a career high 27 goals and 54 points in his first season in Edmonton and made a huge leap in his second with 36 goals and 83 points going into the game against the Sharks.
Ryan, meanwhile, also had a strong season in a supporting role, with 13 goals and 19 points. The Spokane, Wash., product went undrafted after four years in the WHL with his hometown Chiefs, then played with the University of Alberta Golden Bears before embarking on a pro career in Europe.
Ryan returned to North America to play with the Carolina Hurricanes and then Calgary Flames before ending up with the Oilers.
“I got to speak to both of those guys this morning and congratulate them on this,” said Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft. “They are two heart and soul, two foxhole-type players — two men that get everything out of what God gave them. They’re just phenomenal teammates and it seems to me despite their advanced ages they keep getting better.”
Both Hyman and Ryan play a hard-nosed brand of hockey. Hyman took a high stick on the chin in the game against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, which cut him badly, requiring stitches both on the outside and inside of his mouth.
“It’s not that big of a cut, it just went through,” Hyman said.
Regardless, he was still able to return to the contest and is not missing out on his 500th game.
“You don’t think about it really when you’re playing, you just kind of think about the next game and playing and doing your best,” Hyman said. “It’s a fun one, once you hit 500, you look back, it’s a lot of games— it’s pretty crazy.”
DANGEROUS SHORTHANDED
The Oilers lead the NHL in shorthanded goals this season with 17 heading into the contest against the Sharks.
The Oilers got a boost on their penalty kill when Woodcroft decided to deploy Connor McDavid on the unit. McDavid has four shorthanded goals this season.
“I think he is not only the best player in the world, but he can play in any situation, and he’s one of the best penalty killers in the world,” Woodcroft said. “We look to spread minutes out in certain ways, but I think with him on the ice — 17 shorthanded goals — that’s a lot on the year as a team and it’s from multiple people.
“I think his work on the penalty kill speaks for itself. Obviously, he has speed, but he’s got great anticipatory skills which make him a good penalty killer. He also has been on enough power plays in his lifetime to understand the way power plays work and what lanes you need to shut down on the other side of it.”
The Oilers penalty kill is ranked 19th in the league operating at a 77 per cent efficiency rate. It has been a lot better on the current eight-game win streak, giving up just one goal in 23 short-handed situations. The Oilers had a huge kill in the closing moments of the win against the Avalanche, getting the game into overtime where defenceman Evan Bouchard won it.
“I think it’s a big part of why the record is as where it’s at,” said Woodcroft. “I think our penalty kill this year, save for two meltdown games, has been pretty solid. We made some structural changes early in the year after one of those games.
“Specifically, down the stretch here, it’s been aggressive. I think when you look at the amount of special teams’ goals scored, when you add them up and then you subtract the special teams’ goals against, we’re in a pretty good spot. We lead the league in shorthanded goals, so while we haven’t been perfect on the kill this year, it’s going in the right direction, leading the league in shorthanded goals is a positive sign and we like where it’s at heading into Game No. 83.”
Email: dvandiest@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @DerekVanDiest