The Edmonton Oilers will continue to wait for the return of their top defender, as veteran Mattias Ekholm remains out of the lineup. Before the game, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed there would be no changes to the lineup, indirectly indicating that Ekholm would remain out.
Despite fully participating in practice, Ekholm remains out after sustaining an injury that has limited him to just one game since late March. He returned for a single game on April 11 after a seven-game absence, only to aggravate his injury again. The Oilers announced before the start of the Western Conference Final that Ekholm would miss the first two games of the series, with a possible return afterward. However, the team will now assess his availability beyond Game 3.
The 34-year-old played in 65 regular-season games, recording nine goals and 33 points while averaging 22:12 of ice time per game. While the Oilers have continued to find success without Ekholm in the fold, his return would undoubtedly support the team’s efforts. While he has posted 360 career regular-season points in 884 games on the blueline, he has elevated his game even more in the playoffs. His postseason points-per-game average (0.46) currently exceeds his career regular-season mark, and his solid performance in last year’s playoffs (10 points and a plus-nine rating), played a key role in the club’s run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
That said, rust is still likely to be a factor, even for a player with over 1,000 career games between the regular season and postseason. In his absence, the Oilers have used a variety of combinations on the back end, which includes the likes of Ty Emberson and Troy Stecher.