The Oilers announced a pair of roster moves on Friday to potentially pave the way for Hyman’s return on Saturday to face the Hurricanes, placing defenceman Troy Stecher on waivers and loaning forward Isaac Howard to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.
The Oilers and Hurricanes meet for the first time this season after splitting the series in 2024-25.
The Oilers earned their first win in Raleigh since Feb. 2016 back in their last meeting on Mar. 1, picking up a 3-1 victory behind Calvin Pickard’s 35-save performance. Earlier in the year, Stuart Skinner turned aside 30 of 33 shots and McDavid recorded a pair of goals, but the Hurricanes fought back from a two-goal deficit in the third period to win 3-2 in overtime at Rogers Place.
McDavid has recorded at least a point in six straight games against the Hurricanes (4G, 9A), including four multi-point efforts, and Draisaitl has 19 points (6G, 13A) over their last 13 meetings. Hyman could be picking the right fixture to return for, as he’s enjoyed plenty of success in recent games against Carolina with eight points (7G. 1A) over their last six games, including one of his five career hat-tricks on Dec. 6, 2023 in Edmonton.
The Hurricanes will play the second of a back-to-back after hosting the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.
