Oilers' HC Kris Knoblauch, Evander Kane praises $38,500,000 'big bull' for physical play in Game 1 against Stars 

The Edmonton Oilers are in a 1-0 series hole against the Dallas Stars to begin the 2025 Western Conference Finals.

Despite an almost perfect first 40 minutes of play in Game 1, the Oilers saw their 3-1 lead evaporate in the final 20, dropping the series opener 6-3 in Dallas. Three power-play goals from the Stars in the first six minutes of the third period turned everything upside down, and there wasn't enough time to recover.

Edmonton is understandably disappointed with their undisciplined play, letting a deserved win slip through their fingers. However, they got strong performances from several players throughout the lineup, including Zach Hyman, who registered a whopping 12 hits in Game 1, as he's turned himself into a power forward this postseason.

Evander Kane spoke about Hyman during his media availability on Friday, shared by the Edmonton Oilers on YouTube.

"He obviously is a big kind of bull out there. And you know, when he puts his mind to it and wants to bear down on guys and get physical, he can, he can obviously do it. I think he's showing that and has proved that. And you know, he's one of those players that has multiple different skill sets. And, you know, if he's not scoring, he's bringing other things to the table," Kane said (3:06).

Zach Hyman is in the fourth season of the seven-year, $38,500,000 contract signed with Edmonton as a UFA in 2021.

The Oilers' HC also praised Zach Hyman

Evander Kane wasn't the only member of the Edmonton Oilers praising Zach Hyman for his new style of play.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch spoke highly about his winger to the media on Friday. The Edmonton Oilers shared the full video on YouTube.

"Zach has gone from the leading goal scorer in the NHL to the leading hit guy. Zach, like many other guys on our team, are just willing to do whatever it takes. The intensity is high. And if they feel that those for Zach, for example, can make an impact by finishing checks, he'll do that. And you can have any player wanting to finish checks, but you also have to have awareness of how to get there and also having the speed," Knoblauch said (6:05).

"And Zach's quietly a very quick player. He's fast. He can get up and down the ice, and then when he can get there, he's not turning away. He'll, very rarely, not finish his check. So I think it's paid dividends in the first two rounds, and hopefully it pays dividends in this round also," Knoblauch added.

It certainly is impressive to see a 54-scorer finding different ways to impact the game to help his team win come playoff time.

Game 2 between the Oilers and Stars goes down on Friday night in Dallas. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at American Airlines Center.