The Edmonton Oilers are through to Round 2 but a Mattias Ekholm injury means the Oilers are unlikely to have him for this series. Without their best defensive defenseman, the Oilers are up against it. They will need to get more out of what they have. Ekholm’s injury is a big problem for a team with defensive issues. There are two ways the Oilers can still win this series, but they need to understand the absence of Ekholm for this team.
Ekholm’s Importance to the Oilers
Since being acquired from the Nashville Predators, Ekholm has become a staple on the Oilers blueline. He’s become the major minute eater on the back end and the safety net for Evan Bouchard. Bouchard’s performance in Round 1 was acceptable offensively, but his defensive struggles were evident as the Oilers’ top defenseman couldn’t help his team in his zone. The Kings found success against him at even strength early in the series.
Without Ekholm, the Oilers will continue to search for answers, which means that the rest of the defensive unit must be better. If the Oilers are as porous defensively as the Kings series, Vegas will run riot. The Golden Knights have deadly forwards on every line. Any momentary lapse of judgment could see the Oilers concede a goal. The division winners will press hard, so the Oilers must be wise in their defense.
PK Adjustments
The penalty kill was an issue in Round 1. Primarily due to Ekholm’s injury, the instability plagued the Oilers. It forced Edmonton to outscore its problems. While there remains no reason the Oilers can’t do that, it’ll be much more difficult. Vegas defence is big, physical, and fast. The top-end talent on the roster will already be facing a more challenging task. Asking more of them won’t help the team; it’ll just hinder the top six.
Edmonton needs to be smart. Vegas powerplay clicked at 27.8% against Minnesota, so it is dangerous. However, it can be defended if the PK is good enough. Minnesota’s unit was better in the regular season than Edmonton’s, so the Oilers have their work cut out if they will contain that dangerous man advantage. They will face one of the most dangerous teams in the league, so the special teams must be good.
Depth Importance
In his absence, the Oilers will require players to step up. With the defense, there is no alternative to Mattias Ekholm. If there were, the Oilers would not have made the trade to bring him in from Nashville a few years ago. However, the options available have to plug the hole. It cannot just be one player; it must be a collective effort to subsidize the distress the blueline experiences without Ekholm.
Whether the stars of the top pairing or the defensemen of the third pairing have to play a little more on the penalty kill, the Oilers’ depth as a collective must overcome the absence of the towering Swede. Edmonton needs more out of its defense ahead of this challenging series with the Golden Knights. This absence could sink the Oilers’ season, so they need to overcome the adversity to be the best. They need to overcome this Mattias Ekholm injury.
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