The Edmonton Oilers are close to getting Zach Hyman back from injury.
Expectations going into Tuesday night’s game against the LA Kings were that Hyman would finally return to the lineup after missing the past four games. Yet when the Oilers took to the ice for a morning skate at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, Hyman wasn’t skating with a regular line.
Instead, the 34-year-old was skating alongside Max Jones, suggesting he won’t be back in game action quite yet. Head coach Mike Babcock confirmed this to reporters after the skate and provided an update on Hyman’s condition.
“They told me he’s not playing tonight,” Babcock said. “It sounds like it’s day-to-day […] It’s really close, but what does that mean?”
"The big thing here is we've had quite a bit of time off on the road here. It's a big game here for us, we've gotta get our mind right & we gotta get ready to play."
Coach Babcock on the #Oilers going into tonight's matchup vs. the Kings.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/nF65nMwfVz
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 13, 2026
Babcock previously told reporters after Saturday’s victory over the San Jose Sharks that he believed Hyman would play against the Kings. At the time, the only hurdle was getting the veteran winger cleared by the Oilers’ medical staff.
It seems Hyman is still awaiting full medical approval to return to the lineup.
That means the Oilers will continue to roll with a shorthanded forward group. 880 CHED’s Bob Stauffer reported on Edmonton’s lines at morning skate, which were largely unchanged from the win against the Sharks.
The @EdmontonOilers morning skate:
Podkolzin-McDavid-Draisaitl
Hallander-Dickinson-Kapanen
Formenton-Michaels-Joseph
Frederic-Samanski-Howard
Jones-HymanEkholm-Bouchard
Shea-Murphy
Mukhamadullin-Emberson
WalmanLevi
Jarry— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) October 13, 2026
Jake Walman will also miss his second consecutive game with an injury. Shakir Mukhamadullin will remain in his spot on the third pair with Ty Emberson.
The only notable change is between the pipes, as Babcock confirmed that Devon Levi will get the start after Tristan Jarry picked up his first win of the season on Saturday. The 24-year-old Levi shook off a shaky start to the season and put together two straight impressive victories.
If you eliminate the chaotic 9-7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks earlier this month, Levi has posted an impressive .941 save percentage in wins against the Seattle Kraken and Anaheim Ducks.
The Oilers are looking to sweep their three-game California road trip and run their current winning streak up to five games. Edmonton also remains the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss.
Puck drop is set for 8:30 p.m. MDT.