Ekblad picked up three assists Saturday in a 9-2 win over Columbus.
The big defender had one of each -- even strength, power play and a shortie helper. Remarkably, Ekblad has three, three-point games in his last five contests to drive up his season total to 35 points in 37 games. That's Norris trophy Brent Burns scoring territory, but not good enough to lead scorers from the blue line. Ekblad is knotted with Cale Makar for fourth in the NHL, behind Victor Hedman, Roman Josi and Adam Fox.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Three-point effort against Canucks
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Ekblad scored an even-strength goal and added two assists, one on the power play and one short-handed, in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Canucks.
It was a well-rounded performance from the 25-year-old, who chipped in three shots, five blocked shots and a plus-2 rating. Ekblad has a goal and seven points in his last four games, boosting his production on the season to 10 goals and 32 points through 35 contests with 108 shots on net, 33 hits, 40 blocked shots and a plus-23 rating.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Dishes three helpers in loss
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Ekblad recorded three assists, one on the power play and one short-handed, in Thursday's 6-5 shootout loss to the Stars.
It's the first multi-point performance for Ekblad since early December, snapping him out of the closest thing to a slump he's seen all season. The 25-year-old now has nine goals and 29 points through 33 games.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Out of protocol
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Ekblad cleared COVID-19 protocols and practiced Monday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.
Ekblad had been in protocol since Dec. 16 but should be Florida's top right defenseman when they next play, whether that's Wednesday or a later date. The 25-year-old has tallied eight goals and 16 assists in 28 games this season.
Ekblad was placed in COVID-19 protocols Thursday, David Dwork of Local 10 Miami reports.
Ekblad will not be available for Thursday's tilt against the Kings. It's unclear how long the team expects him to be out, but if he's asymptomatic, he could return as soon as Saturday in Minnesota. The 25-year-old blueliner has 24 points and a plus-17 rating through 28 games this season.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Game-time call
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Ekblad (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision for Thursday night's matchup with LA, David Dwork of Local 10 Miami reports.
Ekblad wasn't able to participate in Thursday's morning skate due to an undisclosed issue, leaving his status versus the Kings up in the air. The 25-year-old blueliner's availability against LA likely won't be confirmed until the Panthers take the ice for pregame warmups, so fantasy managers should plan accordingly.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Sends assist in win
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Ekblad recorded an assist, two shots on goal, two hits, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 3-1 win over the Coyotes.
Ekblad earned the secondary assist on Sam Bennett's first-period tally. The 25-year-old Ekblad has cemented himself as one of the best blueliners in the league with eight goals, 16 assists, 86 shots and a plus-21 rating through 26 contests this season. He's on pace to shatter his career high of 41 points in 67 games from the 2019-20 season.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Second straight three-point game
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Ekblad had two goals -- one on the power play -- and an assist in Thursday's 7-4 win over Buffalo.
He rounded out his stat line with six shots, two blocked shots and two PIM. Ekblad turned a 4-2 deficit into a 4-4 tie with a pair of goals that sandwiched the second intermission, and he added a helper on Anton Lundell's game-winner later in the third. He's as hot offensively as any blueliner in the league, with six points in his last two games and 13 in the last nine.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Three-point effort against Caps
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Ekblad collected three assists, two on the power play, in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Capitals.
He had a hand in Florida's final two goals of the night, capping a huge comeback after the team found itself in a 4-1 hole after 40 minutes. Ekblad has three multi-point performances in the last five games, and on the season he has an outstanding six goals and 20 points through 22 contests.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Two-point night includes OT winner
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Ekblad scored the overtime winner and also had a power-play assist in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Philadelphia.
Ekblad capped the eventful evening with the winning goal, and he also picked up four shots, two blocked shots, four PIM and a hit, in addition to assisting on Sam Bennett's game-tying goal in the third. The surging blueliner has a five-game point streak rolling, during which Ekblad has racked up two goals and five assists.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Picks up unassisted goal
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Ekblad scored a goal on four shots and added two hits Thursday in a 5-4 overtime win over Washington.
Ekblad one-timed a Washington clearing attempt off the boards and got it past netminder Ilya Samsonov to give the Panthers a 2-0 edge in the first period. It was Ekblad's fourth goal of the season and gave him 10 points on the year. He also owns a plus-9 rating.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Assists on both goals
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Ekblad dished out a pair of assists and had one shot in a 3-2 shootout loss to Boston.
Ekblad figured in on both Florida goals, drawing the secondary assist on tallies by Anthony Duclair and Aleksander Barkov. The 25-year-old Ekblad is off to a terrific start to the 2021-22 season, reaching the scoresheet in seven of nine games and tying for the NHL lead among defensemen with nine points (three goals, six assists). His plus-10 rating also tops all NHL defenders.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Blasts third goal of year
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Ekblad scored a power-play goal on three shots Monday in a 5-3 win over Arizona.
Ekblad hammered a point shot through traffic to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead midway through the second period. It was the third goal of the season for Ekblad and gave him points in five of his first six games. He's also tied for second among NHL defensemen with a plus-8 rating.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Two-goal game in win
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Ekblad scored two goals in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over Pittsburgh.
In his first game since returning from a broken leg that forced him to miss the 2021 postseason, Ekblad lit the lamp twice to give the Panthers life Thursday night. After the Panthers blew a two-goal lead, the Windsor native helped his team get back on track during a scrum in front of the Pens goal to put his team within one and then tied the game with a top-shelf snipe with under five minutes left in regulation. Ekblad also went plus-2 on the night with three hits, three blocks and six shots in 27:56 of ice time.
Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Should be ready for training camp
Rotowire
Ekblad (leg) is slated to be healthy for the beginning of training camp in the fall, David Dwork of Local 10 Miami reports.
Ekblad underwent surgery back in March but is on track to be fully fit for the 2021-22 campaign. Over the course of his seven-year NHL career, the 25-year-old defenseman has reached the 10-goal mark in all but one of his campaigns, including the shortened 2020-21 season. With a full 82-game campaign, Ekblad should be capable of pushing for the 40-point threshold and offering top-half fantasy value.
Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Undergoes successful surgery
Rotowire
Ekblad (leg) underwent successful surgery on a fracture in his left leg Monday and is expected to make a full recovery in approximately 12 weeks, NHL.com reports.
Ekblad will miss the rest of the 2020-21 campaign, but he should be back to 100 percent well ahead of next season's training camp. The outstanding defenseman will finish the year having racked up 11 goals, 22 points and a plus-5 rating through 35 games.
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Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Done for season
Rotowire
Ekblad will require surgery on his fractured left leg and will miss the rest of the 2020-21 season, Frank Seravalli of TSN.ca reports.
Unfortunately, this doesn't come as a total surprise after Ekblad needed to be stretchered off the ice Sunday against the Stars. The 25-year-old blueliner will end the season with 11 goals, 22 points and a plus-5 rating through 35 games. His recovery timeline is unclear at the moment.
