This was not a perfect game. Far from it, actually. But when Zach Hyman scored his sixth career hat trick in the Edmonton Oilers’ win over the Detroit Red Wings on December 11, it revealed something important about how this team operates when things get messy.
Detroit got unlucky throughout the first period, hitting posts and missing chances they probably should have buried. After twenty minutes, they had a legitimate case for feeling robbed. But hockey doesn’t care about feelings. The Oilers were there to collect two points, and they did exactly that against a decent opponent.
Here’s what makes this game interesting: Hyman built his entire career on doing the work nobody else wants to do. He plants himself in front of the net, battles for rebounds, and scores the kind of goals that require taking punishment. His three goals? That was a reward for a career, physical top-line winger.
So when your hardest-working forward leads the offensive charge with a hat trick, it tells you something about how the team had to approach this game.
It looked desperate. And maybe that’s not a bad thing.
Edmonton finished the first period with 13 hits to Detroit’s 4. After the second, it was 21-7. 25-9 after the third. The Oilers were rested, facing a Red Wings team on the back end of a back-to-back, and they took full advantage.
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“They’re coming off the back-to-back, and we’ve been rested, so we've got to take advantage of those games,” said Hyman after the game.
Even the empty netter couldn't come easily. Hyman hit the post on his first try. Vasily Podkolzin hit the crossbar after a feed from Draisaitl. Only after a pass from Connor McDavid and a warning not to give it back did Hyman get goal number three.
“I didn’t want to miss again, but (Connor) played like a real two-on-one,” continued Hyman. “Goal scoring is funny. It’s very confidence based.
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“Ask anyone, no matter who you are, you see the puck go in, it goes in more often, (then) you've got a mentality that you’re going to score. And when it’s not going in, it’s almost like you’re never going to score. So whenever you’re scoring, you want to make sure that you continue to work and continue to get your chances.
"And it’s fun.”
That work ethic matters more than people think. The Oilers need to embrace games like this more often. Not every win looks good. Not every victory comes from skill and speed. Sometimes you win because you’re willing to work harder than the other team, especially when they’re tired and you’re not.
Hyman’s hat trick won’t generate the same attention as McDavid's. But it showed what this team can be when they commit to playing physical, determined hockey. The desperation they showed tonight? They should carry that into more games. Two points are two points, whether they come pretty or ugly. The Oilers took the ugly ones and moved on, which is exactly what good teams do.
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