Mattias Ekholm's return delayed, new date revealed by Oilers insider
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
The Edmonton Oilers have made it to the Conference Final without their top defenceman Mattias Ekholm, who is now expected to return in Game 5 or 6 of their series against the Dallas Stars.
Oilers coach Knoblauch had already ruled out Ekholm for the first two games of the series, but they've also been seeing very good news from the veteran defenceman at practice.
Oilers insider Bob Stauffer reports Ekholm is likely to miss first 4 games of Conference Final
According to Oilers insider Bob Stauffer today on the Spittin Chiclets Podcast, Ekholm is most likely to return in Game 5 or 6 against the Dallas Stars.
It's a little discouraging to have his return date pushed back from potentially Game 3 to Game 5, but the Oilers will be able to survive another stretch without him.
Additionally, there's a chance the Oilers are playing some mind games with his return date to throw off the Stars. Ekholm has been moving very well at practice, and has now joined the team at full speed.
Ekholm has missed the entire playoffs so far with an undisclosed injury, but has been battling issues long before the regular season ended. The 34 year old defenceman missed most games after the 4 Nations Faceoff with extended illnesses and injury.
There could be some concern about how he'll fare being added back into the lineup after a long layoff in some crucial games - but Ekholm has been the Oilers top two way defender since his arrival. He should immediately be a major impact for their team defence.
Hopefully the Oilers can keep playing long enough to get him back in the lineup, and he can get right back into his role as the team's backbone on the blueline.
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