After the return of Mattias Ekholm on Thursday in the series-deciding contest against Dallas, the Oilers expect to have close to a fully healthy roster outside of Hyman for when they open up the Stanley Cup Final on home ice on Wednesday with Game 1 of their rematch with the Panthers at Rogers Place.
Ekholm looked to be back to his regular self during his first game since Apr. 11 in Game 5 against the Stars, recording an assist and two blocks in 15:52 of ice time in his regular spot in a pairing with Evan Bouchard. Considering that he thought his injury was going to end his season back in early April, it’s a fantastic recovery from the Swedish defenceman to get himself back in time to contribute in another Cup Final – the third of his career (2027, 2024, 2025).
“Six weeks ago, I had no clue where I was going to be, and most people didn’t think I was going to be in this position,” Ekholm said. “So to be able to be part of this group, to be part of things on the ice and help this team win has obviously been the goal the whole time. And now that it’s a reality, it’s awesome for me.
“This will be my third final. There’s a bit of experience there. A conference championship is something you want, but it’s the ultimate prize that we all strive for. I think that’s the focus right now, and we all seem to be pretty confident with that.”
The Oilers will also welcome back Connor Brown to the lineup, who missed the final two games against the Stars due to a hit he received from Alex Petrovic in Game 3.
As a penalty-killer and capable depth contributor with five goals and added three assists this postseason, Brown will be one of the many forwards tasked with helping make up for the absence of Hyman up front, which won’t be a problem with 14 different forwards having scored a goal in these playoffs.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
