Ekholm scored a goal on three shots, added two assists, blocked four shots, logged two hits and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 7-1 win over Utah.
Ekholm returned from a six-game absence due to an undisclosed injury. Even with a lopsided score in the Oilers' favor, Ekholm saw a hefty 21:27 of ice time to help secure the win, though it was his burst of offense that was most noticeable. This was his first multi-point effort since Jan. 27 versus the Kraken. The 34-year-old defenseman is up to nine goals, 30 points, 137 shots on net, 90 blocked shots, 41 hits, 28 PIM and a plus-13 rating over 61 appearances. As long as he stays healthy, he'll close out the regular season in a top-four role with the ability to chip in decent offense from the blue line.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Set to return Tuesday
Rotowire
Ekholm (undisclosed) will be in the lineup Tuesday versus Utah, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.
Ekholm will return to the lineup for the first time since March. 4 after missing the last six games due to his undisclosed injury. The veteran defenseman should slot in on the No. 1 pairing next to Evan Bouchard, but it remains to be seen if he'll receive a cap on his ice time. Jake Walman will slide down to the second pairing as a result of Ekholm's return.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Unavailable Monday
Rotowire
Ekholm (undisclosed) won't play against Buffalo on Monday, per Jamie Umbach of the Oilers' official site.
Ekholm is still day-to-day and will miss his third straight game. He has produced eight goals, 27 points, 134 shots on net, 86 blocked shots and 39 hits in 60 games this season. Due to Ekholm's absence, Jake Walman will skate alongside Evan Bouchard in Monday's lineup.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Out of action Saturday
Rotowire
Ekholm (undisclosed) will sit out Saturday's tilt versus Dallas, Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports.
Ekholm will miss his second straight game. The 34-year-old veteran defenseman has eight goals, 19 assists and 134 shots on goal over 60 appearances this season. Look for Jake Walman to enter the lineup for the first time since his trade from San Jose on Thursday.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Not playing Thursday
Rotowire
Ekholm (undisclosed) will not be in the lineup versus Montreal on Thursday, according to Bob Stauffer of the Oilers Radio Network.
Ekholm has eight goals, 19 assists and 86 blocked shots across 60 games with the Oilers this season. He should be considered day-to-day at this time. The Oilers recalled defenseman Cam Dineen on an emergency basis Wednesday and he will enter the lineup against the Canadiens.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: In doubt against Habs
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Ekholm is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is questionable to face Montreal on Thursday, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.
Despite putting up 11 shots in his last five games, Ekholm has been unable to find the back of the net. The blueliner has chipped in two assists over that stretch and continues to see plenty of minutes with the second power-play unit. If Ekholm is unable to play Thursday, Troy Stecher figures to jump back into the lineup.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Picks up power-play helper
Rotowire
Ekholm registered a power-play assist and three shots on goal in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Ducks.
Ekholm was just one of four Edmonton skaters to maintain an even plus-minus rating in the blowout loss. The 34-year-old defenseman also snagged a helper on Leon Draisaitl's first-period tally. With five points over his last nine games, Ekholm's doing alright on offense -- it's fairly typical production for a top-four defenseman, though Ekholm is typically stronger in his own zone. For the season, the Swede has 27 points (six on the power play), 134 shots on net, 86 blocked shots, 39 hits and a plus-10 rating over 60 appearances.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Scores in Saturday's loss
Rotowire
Ekholm scored a goal and went minus-3 in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Flyers.
Ekholm's goal briefly tied the game at 3-3 in the second period, but the Oilers didn't have another comeback in them. The defenseman has two goals and five assists over his last eight NHL outings, and he was also on Sweden's roster during the 4 Nations Face-Off, so he didn't have a break for the past two weeks. The 34-year-old blueliner is now at eight goals, 25 points, 123 shots on net, 80 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating through 55 appearances this campaign.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Hands out assist in loss
Rotowire
Ekholm notched a power-play assist and three blocked shots in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Avalanche.
Ekholm has two helpers over three contests since he returned from missing a game due to an illness. The 34-year-old blueliner helped out on a Corey Perry tally in the second period. For the season, Ekholm has 24 points 122 shots on net, 80 blocked shots and a plus-17 rating over 54 appearances in a top-four role.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Back at practice
Rotowire
Ekholm (illness) participated in Monday's practice, per Tony Brar of Oilers TV.
After missing Saturday's 4-3 loss to Toronto, Ekholm was back on the top pairing during Monday's session. He should return to the lineup versus St. Louis on Tuesday. Ekholm has accounted for seven goals, 22 points, 117 shots on net, 72 blocked shots and 34 hits in 51 appearances this season. Based on Monday's combinations, John Klingberg could be a healthy scratch to make room for Ekholm's return.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Set to sit out
Rotowire
Ekholm (illness) won't play Saturday versus the Maple Leafs, Bob Stauffer of the Oilers Radio Network reports.
Ekholm missed Friday's practice after playing through the illness Thursday. However, he will miss at least one game. Troy Stecher is set to return to the Oilers' lineup in a bottom-four role.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Absent from practice
Rotowire
Ekholm was not on the ice for Friday's practice due to illness, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.
Ekholm was questionable to face the Red Wings on Thursday due to his illness but managed to suit up in that contest, so fantasy players can probably expect the blueliner to be in action against the Leafs on Saturday as well. Still, if Ekholm does miss any time, Troy Stecher figures to jump back into the lineup.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Good to play Thursday
Rotowire
Ekholm (illness) is set to play Thursday versus Detroit.
Ekholm missed Wednesday's practice but won't be held out any games due to the illness. He's on a three-game scoring streak in which he's provided a goal and four points. He has seven goals and 22 points in 50 outings this campaign.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Misses Wednesday's practice
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Ekholm didn't participate in Wednesday's practice session due to an illness, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.
Ekholm has been hot recently, as he's in the midst of a three-game point streak in which he's racked up a goal and three assists. He hasn't yet missed a game this season, but it's unclear whether he'll be able to suit up Thursday against the Red Wings due to his illness.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Pair of points in win
Rotowire
Ekholm scored an empty-net goal on six shots, added an assist and blocked two shots in Monday's 4-2 win over the Kraken.
This was Ekholm's first multi-point effort since Dec. 31. The defenseman has four points over his last three games, a much better pace than his start to January (one assist over 10 contests). For the season, he's at seven goals, 22 points, 117 shots on net, 71 blocked shots and a plus-20 rating over 50 appearances while filling a top-four role.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Provides helper in win
Rotowire
Ekholm notched an assist, four shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Canucks.
Ekholm set up an Adam Henrique tally in the first period, which ended up being the game-winner. This was Ekholm's second helper over 11 contests in January, which has been a fairly quiet month for the defenseman, though not as bad as his November (one assist in 13 games). Overall, Ekholm's at 19 points, 108 shots on net, 67 blocked shots, 32 hits and a plus-17 rating through 48 appearances.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Expected to play
Rotowire
Ekholm (undisclosed) is on the ice for warmups and expected to play Wednesday versus the Wild, Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports.
Ekholm was considered a game-time decision after missing Wednesday's morning skate. His heavy defensive usage leads to some wear and tear throughout the season, and that appears to be the case in this situation. He's projected to play in his usual spot on the top pairing.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Adds helper Thursday
Rotowire
Ekholm logged an assist and two hits in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Penguins.
Ekholm ended a three-game slump with the helper. The 34-year-old defenseman had a great October on offense, but his scoring contributions since have been less consistent. He's at six goals, 12 helpers, 95 shots on net, 60 blocked shots, 30 hits and a plus-15 rating through 41 appearances in a top-four role. Ekholm is likely to fall short of his 45-point regular season from 2023-24.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: One of each in win
Rotowire
Ekholm scored a goal on two shots, dished an assist, blocked three shots and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 4-1 win over Utah.
Ekholm ended a three-game dry spell with this performance. He opened the scoring 4:26 into the game and then helped out on Leon Draisaitl's empty-netter in the third period. Ekholm is up to six goals -- four of which he scored over 13 contests in December. He's generated 17 points, 90 shots on net, 53 blocked shots, 24 hits and a plus-15 rating over 37 appearances this season in a top-pairing role.
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Oilers' Mattias Ekholm: Nets late equalizer
Rotowire
Ekholm scored a goal on seven shots and went plus-2 in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over the Sharks.
The Sharks nearly pulled off a massive upset in Edmonton, but Ekholm saved the day for the Oilers, tying the game with 18 seconds left in the third period. He's scored clutch goals in back-to-back contests, and he's on a four-game point streak after having a helper in each of the two games before that. The 34-year-old is out of his slump and is back to being a reliable depth option in fantasy. He's at five goals, 15 points, 82 shots on net, 47 blocked shots, 24 hits and a plus-12 rating through 33 appearances.
