Oilers’ Zach Hyman Still Has ‘Personal Rivalry’ With Bruins After Maple Leafs Years

Facing the Boston Bruins now is, in a way, different for Zach Hyman than it used to be.

Hyman started his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he played in all seven first-round playoff games in 2017-18 and 2018-19 when the Bruins bounced the Leafs. That, of course, is in addition to the slew of contentious regular season tilts the two sides took part in — including a Dec. 2018 game in which Hyman was later suspended two games for a hit on Charlie McAvoy.

Now in his first season with the Edmonton Oilers, Hyman admits that there still is a little something extra to facing the Bruins given his history against them.

“You’re definitely familiar with the way that they play and the players that are over there, definitely,” Hyman told reporters in Edmonton on Thursday morning. “Personal rivalry, I guess, having played them so much and played them in big games and being on the wrong end of it. You have a lot of respect for the guys who are there and what they are able to do, you’re aware of their abilities.”

The Oilers beat the Bruins once this season, winning 5-3 on Nov. 11 at TD Garden. Edmonton will host the B’s on Thursday night in the second leg of a back-to-back for Boston.

Puck drop for Bruins-Oilers is set for 9 p.m. ET on NESN, with pregame coverage set for 8 p.m..