Most Oilers stars shine in Ekholm's return, but Draisaitl's streak ends: 5 takeaways

New York Times

19-03-2025

EDMONTON — That's more like it from the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers waxed Utah HC 7-1 on Tuesday, the third straight win and the third game in a row where they've allowed just a single goal. They finally got the offensive breakthrough they've been searching for, too.
They've gone from what coach Kris Knoblauch called 'rock bottom' coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break to gradual improvement to Tuesday's crescendo.
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Shellacking Utah might be one of those games that's simply an outlier — one team bringing its best stuff and the other falling flat. But the Oilers shouldn't just disregard a performance like this one.
'Our game is definitely coming,' defenceman Darnell Nurse said. 'Our group, as we continue to play with some new faces and continue to jell, our team game's going to continue to grow.
'You want to head into the end of the season playing your best hockey. I think we're starting to get there.'
Between stars either finding their form or getting comfortable, a key player returning to provide an ideal mix, and winning without their best player this season producing, there's a lot to analyze from this game.
Here are five takeaways.
Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman, the team's most dynamic duo when it comes to regular linemates, looked like they did so often over the last couple of seasons. Both players had three-point nights.
After missing Sunday's game with an undisclosed injury, Hyman scored twice — and both times were from his office around the blue paint. He was denied his first hat trick of the season when he was turned aside on a breakaway late in the second period by Jaxson Stauber. That play easily could have been called hooking or holding on former Oilers prospect John Marino. Hyman also set up Mattias Ekholm's third-period marker.
McDavid recorded secondary helpers on both of Hyman's goals. He also scored a beauty of his own with 3.3 seconds left in the opening frame. His separation speed to gain a breakaway after being sent in by Ekholm via a tip from Evan Bouchard was classic McDavid. The backhander that beat Karel Vejmelka was downright cheeky.
The left-wing slot on the top line has been in flux. That's typically Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' place, but the Oilers closed the road trip with Adam Henrique there. Jeff Skinner got the call on Tuesday. It might not matter who plays in that spot if McDavid and Hyman are going to keep going like that.
"Got my voice back, been battling a bit of a lower-body injury. It's kept me out but guys have done a great job. I'm feeling better."
Mattias Ekholm on returning to the #Oilers lineup after missing the last six games.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/SvnTHHbFOz
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 18, 2025
The Oilers managed to go 4-2 without Ekholm, who was sidelined with a lower-body injury, but his absence was still felt. After all, he's their best two-way defenceman. That he'd been battling illness or injury for weeks affected his play.
Well, Ekholm sure looked like his old self in his return on Tuesday.
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There wasn't a lot in the way of defending that stood out other than a blocked shot with his skate in the second period when he was without a stick. The Oilers dominated this one and seldom had to defend.
Ekholm helped launch McDavid's successful breakaway in the dying seconds of the first. He banked a pass off Hyman in the second. He then closed out a three-point effort by scoring 33 seconds into the third. Not a bad 21:27 of work.
'He didn't look like he missed any time at all,' Knoblauch said. 'It's tremendous having him back.'
Ekholm rounded out the defensive group, which could be the most mobile and versatile in the league. They moved the puck expertly on Tuesday.
Behind Ekholm and Bouchard, the Oilers will have some combination of Darnell Nurse, Jake Walman and Brett Kulak as a top five. The only determination to be made is who'll be the sixth guy.
Troy Stecher got the assignment against Utah ahead of Ty Emberson. Puck-mover John Klingberg appears to be close to game action after missing the last seven games with an injury.
'The six of us, as a group, as we continue to get more and more chemistry and mesh, it's really exciting to look at our back end and be a part of it,' Nurse said.
Another game, another three-point showing for Nugent-Hopkins. Following a three-assist effort against the New York Rangers, Nugent-Hopkins opened the scoring on a great individual effort while short-handed, his second goal in 19 games, and chipped in a couple of helpers.
'The game can be funny sometimes,' Nugent-Hopkins said. 'You do all the right things, and nothing shows up on the scoresheet and sometimes you get some bounces, and they go in for you. I'm just trying to play the same way and trying to help out however I can.'
The offensive boost coincides with a move to centre. This was his third straight game playing there.
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'You're touching the puck a lot more and are more involved on every play,' Nugent-Hopkins said. 'Sometimes on the wing, you are up and down a little bit. I'm still a little more comfortable at centre. It's the position I played most of my life.'
Knoblauch said he anticipates keeping Nugent-Hopkins in the middle for a while. What does that mean for the lineup?
Henrique served as the fourth-line centre on Tuesday, an alignment the Oilers have used occasionally this season. But Knoblauch said after the morning skate that he doesn't think that lineup structure allows for enough ice time for Henrique. Expect the veteran to be moved up and on the wing — unless Leon Draisaitl joins McDavid and Hyman.
That leaves Kasperi Kapanen, Mattias Janmark and Derek Ryan — recalled Tuesday — as the options for the fourth centre.
It wasn't just Nugent-Hopkins who chipped in offensively from the bottom six. He's largely been flanked by Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson for the last three games. They both scored on Tuesday.
'They should be a good line,' Knoblauch said. 'For the most part, those three have been on our top six for more of the year.'
Those goals had different meanings to each player.
Podkolzin's tally was just his first in 24 games. It was very much needed even though it was the Oilers' fifth in a blowout win.
Arvidsson closed out the scoring, his third goal in his last six games. He netted the winning goal in the team's last outing against the Rangers on Sunday.
'For our group, guys haven't been discouraged, and they continue to make plays and play with confidence,' Nurse said. 'That's got to continue. The more chances that we're going to give ourselves, the more we're going to benefit in the end.'
Draisaitl's 18-game point streak came to an end in the oddest of circumstances considering the lopsided score. It's not like the Oilers need his help.
'Some players score when it doesn't matter,' Knoblauch said. 'The game's out of hand and you score with two minutes left to pad the stats. When you look at the streak, Leon has done none of that. Almost every single game's been a one-goal game. Many nights he's the only guy on the scoresheet.
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'Tonight, he certainly had his opportunities.'
Did he ever?
Draisaitl played by far the most ice time among Oilers forwards. He was on the ice for 22:23, whereas the rest of the top dogs were scaled back in the blowout. McDavid got 16:46 of ice time, Hyman finished with 16:11 and Nugent-Hopkins was at 15:03.
Draisaitl was sitting on 49 goals and teammates were looking for him with 50 in mind.
Utah defenders were watching him closely, especially when the Oilers had a man advantage. Logan Cooley was practically shadowing him in the first period to the point where the Oilers had a four-on-three. That helped create Hyman's goal just after Utah got to even strength.
The Oilers adjusted in the second and Draisaitl had two excellent chances from the bumper spot, a place he rarely stands. He stayed on the ice for that full power play even after the rest of his first-unit mates went to the bench.
Draisaitl even played the whole five-on-four with the Oilers up 7-1 midway through the third. He started with a makeshift group and then stayed on with the first unit — minus Nugent-Hopkins for Brett Kulak.
Draisaitl had six shots on net and eight attempts.
'We know it'll come,' Nugent-Hopkins said of Draisaitl missing out on his milestone. 'He's been driving it for us this whole season. In a game like that, sometimes that's just the way it works.'
Knoblauch said Draisaitl got a bump in ice time because his point streak was on the line.
Utah coach André Tourigny wasn't bothered by Draisaitl getting the late power-play time.
'He's in front of his fans, people pay to come to see him play and they run their team the way they want to run their team,' Tourigny said. 'If that was my biggest problem today, I would take that day any day.'
(Top photo of Connor McDavid winning a draw against Barrett Hayton: Perry Nelson / Imagn Images)