The Edmonton Oilers clinched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they’ll face a familiar foe: the Los Angeles Kings. Ahead of the fourth consecutive first-round meeting between the two franchises, head coach Kris Knoblauch issued a strong update on one of Connor McDavid‘s teammates, who recently sustained a serious injury.
Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm had just returned from a seven-game injury absence when he aggravated an existing issue during the Oilers’ 4-2 victory over the Sharks on April 11.
Edmonton has been mired with injuries all season long, with McDavid and Draisaitl missing considerable time with different health concerns throughout the 2024-25 NHL campaign. However, as the Stanley Cup Playoffs loom closer, these concerns have multiplied as several stars are inactive.
Knoblauch and the Oilers hoped to retrieve a key player in Ekholm, to aid their defensive front ahead of their first-round tilt against the Kings. However, the head coach had a concerning update for McDavid and the team about the 34-year-old defenseman.
Mattias Ekholm #14 of the Edmonton Oilers looks on against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Capital One Arena on February 23, 2025 in Washington, DC.
“Mattias [Ekholm] is getting a look from the doctor a second opinion to see what it looks like. Right now it doesn’t look like Mattias will be joining us immediately,” Knoblauch said, according to Sportsnet.
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Key absences
Some big names appear on the Oilers’ injury report heading into the final week of the regular season. Leon Draisaitl is the most notable, as the German star is questionable for April 21, when the first-round series against the Kings begins.
Other critical absences include: Zach Hyman, Trent Frederic (who’s only played one game since being traded from Boston to Edmonton), Jake Walman, and Evander Kane.
They meet again
The Oilers and Kings will face each other for the fourth time in as many seasons. Edmonton has had the upper hand over Los Angeles, eliminating them in each of their previous series.
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However, this time around, it appears the Kings will have home-ice advantage—something that hadn’t occurred in any of their past meetings. If the Oilers can’t recover their star players in time, they could be in for a lot of trouble.
