"What a flop"; "Dallas only good at injuring players": NHL fans divided as Zach Hyman exits Game 4 after hit by Stars player

Game 4 of the Western Conference finals took a turn when Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman left the ice after taking a hit from Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment.

The incident occurred midway through the first period. Hyman was clipped by Marchment in the neutral zone. Hyman quickly dropped his stick and made his way to the bench, clearly in pain, before heading to the locker room. He was absent when the second period got underway.

The hit and Zach Hyman's exit from the game sparked divided reactions from NHL fans on social media. One fan wrote:

"What a flop lol."

Another fan said:

"Dallas is only good at injuring players."

Here are some more reactions from fans on X:

"Hit wasn’t dirty. Hit didn’t fully connect. But Hyman trying to avoid it got him injured as it put his upper body in an awkward spot with the connection," one fan said.

"Edmonton slashed they Dallas player on his foot again after the Dallas player just returned from injury good he deserves it Edmonton player it’s called payback," another fan wrote.

"This was a routine check which Hyman tried to evade instead of absorbing the hit," one fan commented.

"March is a tool. Thought he was a good piece for them and then you see him against Winnipeg and now oil...guy just skates around hunting," a fan added.

No penalty was called on the play. The Oilers later announced that Zach Hyman wouldn’t return to the game.

The Oilers went on to win 4-1 against the Stars. Leon Draisaitl, Adam Henrique, Kasperi Kapanen and Corey Perry scored for the Oilers while Jason Robertson scored for Dallas. Stuart Skinner made 28 saves in the win while Jake Oettinger stopped 30 shots.

The Oilers now hold a 3-1 series lead and are just one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final. Game 5 is set for Thursday at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Oilers dealing with key absences with Zach Hyman

Connor Brown missed Tuesday’s game after taking a hard hit from Dallas blueliner Alex Petrovic in Game 3, leaving Edmonton down a winger.

Meanwhile, blueliner Mattias Ekholm is getting close to returning from a lower-body injury but remained out of the lineup for Game 4.

It’s still uncertain whether Hyman will be available for the rest of the series.