Oilers’ Mattias Ekholm out with injury for opening round series against Kings

The Edmonton Oilers will be without veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm for the team’s first-round series against the Pacific Division rival Los Angeles Kings, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed Monday per team broadcaster Bob Stauffer.

Facing the San Jose Sharks on Friday, Ekholm exited early in the first period and did not return after suffering an undisclosed injury. In all, it marked Ekholm’s first game back in the lineup following a seven-game stretch in which he was sidelined with an unknown ailment and comes on the heels of a six-game absence through mid-March as the result of an illness.

Limited to 65 appearances this season, the 34-year-old Swedish-born rearguard has tallied nine goals and 24 assists for 33 points coupled with 30 penalty minutes and a plus-11 rating while averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time per night, third most on the Oilers.

A veteran of 884 career contests counting stops with the Nashville Predators and Oilers, Ekholm has totaled 86 goals and 274 assists for 360 career points. With the Oilers last season, Ekholm reached a career-high 45 points counting 11 goals and 34 assists coming in 79 games. Ekholm has also added 52 points through 112 postseason appearances including five goals and five assists for 10 points in last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final.

Per PuckPedia, Ekholm is in the third year of a four-year contract that carries a $6.25-million annual average value, with $250,000 retained by the Predators. Ahead of the 2023 NHL trade deadline, the Oilers acquired Ekholm from the Predators in exchange for fellow defenseman Tyson Barrie, forward prospect Reid Schaefer, plus first- and fourth-round draft selections.

With two games remaining in their regular season schedule, the Oilers return to action Monday against the Kings with potential home-ice advantage up for grabs. The Kings stand two points ahead of the Oilers in the Pacific Division with one game in hand.