The Edmonton Oilers have had to adapt to life without Mattias Ekholm for some time, as their Swedish stalwart has effectively been out of the lineup since late March.
And while he appeared ready to go when he returned for a game on April 11th against the San Jose Sharks, it was short-lived as after three shifts, he was back on the shelf. He’s missed every game since and while a report after that Sharks game indicated Ekholm may miss the remainder of the season, that might not be the case after all.
Oilersnation’s Jason Gregor reported in late April that Ekholm had been responding well to treatment, an undeniable good sign, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch took it a step further, saying there was a chance the rearguard could return to his post if Edmonton advanced to the Western Conference Final.
“Mattias has been on the ice for some light skates,” Knoblauch said Tuesday as the team prepared to travel to Vegas. “He will not be joining us this series, (but) we’re hopeful he can join us next series if we’re able to get to that.”
That’s big news for the Oilers, who would surely love to see him back when he’s ready to. The good news is the team’s blue line hasn’t looked worse for wear, helping the team post a lower goals against per hour at five-on-five rate in the playoffs (2.43) than the regular season (2.52), and a better expected goals against per hour rate (2.23 in the playoffs, 2.37 in the regular season).
It’s a sample size of just 10 games for the Oilers playoffs, but it’s promising, nonetheless.
With the way John Klingberg has emerged as a revelation on the Oilers, the potential of Ekholm back into the lineup would be massive news for a team who has — beyond Ekholm and a recently shaken up Calvin Pickard — found themselves in great health.
When it comes to Pickard, who didn’t dress in either Games 3 or 4 after being shaken up late in Game 2, Knoblauch didn’t have much of an update, other than saying he remained “day-to-day.”
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
