EDMONTON, Alberta — Mattias Ekholm will not be available for the Edmonton Oilers’ first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings, coach Kris Knoblauch said Monday.
Ekholm’s absence is a significant blow to the defending Western Conference champions’ blue line in their attempt to make another long playoff run this spring.
The talented and rugged top-pairing defenseman returned to action Friday in Edmonton’s 4-2 win over visiting San Jose after a seven-game absence because of an undisclosed injury. But he left the game when he aggravated the ailment after playing a couple of shifts.
Ekholm, a 34-year-old Swede, has nine goals and 24 assists in 65 games this season. He also played for Sweden in the Four Nations Face-Off this year.
The Oilers are facing the Kings in the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year. They expect to get MVP candidate Leon Draisaitl back for the series after he has been dealing with a nagging injury, while reigning playoff MVP Connor McDavid is resting late in the regular season after also missing time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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