As miserable as things have been for the Edmonton Oilers lately, people understandably have noted just how bad the team’s luck has been. That bad luck hasn’t just extended to a lack of saves, as this normally high-powered offense has been nothing short of snake-bitten.
So perhaps a big Saturday night from Oilers forward Zach Hyman, who flew out of the gate with a first period natural hat trick, might stand as a turning point for better puck luck.
In the span of about nine minutes of the first period of Saturday’s game against the Seattle Kraken, Hyman scored three goals in a row for that natural hat trick.
As you can see from the video below, Hyman scored all three goals from the high-priced real estate section of the ice, very close to the goalie’s crease. He displayed the mix of courage, timing and a little bit of luck that turns 50-50 pucks, rebounds, and generally broken plays into goals — something he specializes in.
Hyman makes some Oilers history with a natural hat trick; Could Edmonton start getting more bounces?
That natural hat trick pushes Hyman’s season goal total to seven, giving him 13 points in 13 games.
Historically, Hyman rubs elbows with Connor McDavid and Wayne Gretzky after the accomplishment. McDavid is the most recent Oiler to record a natural hat trick, doing so on Feb. 20, 2021 against the Calgary Flames, while Hyman and Wayne Gretzky are the only Oilers to collect natural hat tricks in the first period of games.
Heading into Saturday, Hyman was a bit cold, having notched a lone goal in his previous four games. He wasn’t snake-bitten on the scale of some of his Oilers teammates, though, as his shooting percentage was at 12.5% this season even before this outburst.
The Oilers, as a whole, haven't been getting bounces lately.
Via Money Puck, the Oilers have scored 12.9 fewer goals than expected through their first 12 games, with only the moribund San Jose Sharks off to an uglier and more unfortunate start (15.76 fewer than expected). The Washington Capitals were the only other team above double-digits in that unlucky category (-11.7).
As much as team-related frustration prompted Leon Draisaitl to blow off some steam, his personal struggles have likely been both aggravating and unusual. He’s one of several other Oilers that have struggled of late, limited to a single goal (with seven assists) in his past nine games despite firing 26 shots on goal.
With Hyman's latest heroics, however, the Oilers surely hope this hot streak ends up contagious.
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