Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Snags assist in loss

Ekholm logged an assist, three shots on goal, three hits, two blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Wild.

Ekholm was hampered by a hip issue in training camp that also cost him Opening Night, and he's been a bit slow on offense to start the campaign. The helper was his first point in five outings. The Oilers have had their defensive issues as well, but the usually steady Ekholm has a minus-5 rating to go with 11 hits, six blocked shots, 10 shots on net and four PIM. Despite his early struggles, the 33-year-old is a virtual lock to stick in a top-four role.