Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman wasn't a fan of Los Angeles Kings defenseman Alexander Edler's questionable collision with Connor McDavid during Wednesday night's clash between the Pacific Division rivals.
"Obviously, I didn't like the hit," Hyman told reporters postgame following the Oilers' 3-1 defeat. "Good on (Darnell Nurse) for jumping in there and sticking up for Connor.
"One of those plays where you beat a D, and he sticks a knee out. Dangerous play. ... I don't know if he's doing it intentionally or whatnot, but you just can't do that."
The incident occurred early in the second period. McDavid tried to enter the Kings' zone before getting stood up at the blue line between Edler and Kings forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan.
Edler caught McDavid with his knee, drawing the ire of Nurse.
Connor McDavid gets sandwiched by Edler and Anderson-Dolan, causing a ruckus in the neutral zone#LetsGoOilers #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/tpytfD9u7c
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) November 17, 2022
Edler earned a two-minute kneeing minor and was also dinged for roughing in the ensuing squabble with Nurse. McDavid, who stayed in the contest, was handed a two-minute minor for cross-checking Edler later in the period.
McDavid opted not to share his thoughts on the hit, but the play looked familiar to Hyman.
"(Edler) did (it) to me a couple of years ago," Hyman said during the game's second intermission, per team beat reporter Tony Brar. "Exact same play. ... He just did it to Connor. Same thing. It's an extremely dangerous play."
In April 2021, Edler, with the Vancouver Canucks at the time, caught Hyman with a knee-on-knee hit in what would be the Toronto native's last regular-season game as a member of the Maple Leafs.
Shades of Edler doing this exact same thing to Zach Hyman a couple years ago, when he was still with Toronto https://t.co/qhecUcIR3H pic.twitter.com/JJJikqq51O
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) November 17, 2022
Hyman sustained a sprained MCL on the play and went on to miss Toronto's next 11 games before returning for the Leafs' first-round matchup against the Montreal Canadiens one month later. The NHL handed Edler a two-game suspension for the incident.
Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft deemed Edler's hit on McDavid to be "questionable."
"I'm sure they'll take a look at it, past history, all that kind of stuff," he said.
The Oilers won't take on the Kings again until Jan. 9 in Los Angeles.
