Mattias Ekhlom excited to battle against Oilers teammate Connor McDavid in 4 Nations Face-Off opener

When they’re together in Edmonton, they’re allies. But over the next week and a half, Oilers teammates Connor McDavid and Mattias Ekholm will be anything but.

The 4 Nations Face-Off kicks off in Montreal on Wednesday night, with McDavid’s Team Canada taking on Sweden’s Ekholm in the opening game. It’s a rematch of the 2014 Olympic gold medal game, a tournament neither player took part in.

So this will be a special moment for both players in the potential one-off tournament. After missing out on the Stanley Cup last spring, both McDavid and Ekholm will be looking to take home some coveted hardware in Boston next Thursday.

Answering a question from Daily Faceoff Live host Tyler Yaremchuk on Monday, Ekholm is ready for the challenge – even if he’d rather have McDavid on his side of the ice.

“I think I live in denial right now, just trying not to have it happen,” Ekholm said with a laugh. “But it’s going to be interesting. It’s been a while. I’ve gone up to him against him before I got to Edmonton. But yeah, he’s a great player. I play him in practice every day. So I’ve seen (what McDavid can do) first-hand.”

Ekholm has represented Sweden in various international events, winning gold at the 2018 World Championship and the bronze four years prior. Winning gold at an event like this would mean a lot for Ekholm, who hopes to also win the Stanley Cup for the first time in a few months.

But he knows the tourney won’t come easy – and they’re starting off with a bang against a Canadian team on home ice.

“He’s not the only one that’s good on (Canada). So it’s going to be a challenge for us overall. But it’ll be interesting to see how that pans out or if I’m on the ice at the same time. I want to win and I think he’s wired the same way. So we won’t be friends out there, but I’m sure afterward, we can hopefully have a laugh about it.”