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Mattias Ekholm’s hat trick helped the Oilers make NHL history.
The Edmonton Oilers managed to pick up a critical victory on Monday evening over the Anaheim Ducks, a 7-4 final score at Rogers Place that improved their record to 27-19-8 and helped them keep pace with the first-place Vegas Golden Knights in their competitive division.
But the story of the game was the fact that Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm picked up his first career hat trick, and in doing so, helped the franchise make history. The Oilers became the first NHL team ever to have consecutive hat tricks in back-to-back games from defensemen.
Evan Bouchard recorded a hat trick in Edmonton’s 6-5 overtime win over the Washington Capitals, and Ekholm followed with a hat trick of his own against the Ducks.
Ekholm hadn’t scored in his last 22 games.
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The Edmonton Oilers Made NHL History With Consecutive Hat Tricks By A Defenseman
Ekholm, who hadn’t scored in over 20 games, admitted it was a rare feat for him to achieve.
“I’m usually not known for my goal-scoring ability,” he said. “Couldn’t buy a goal for 20 games. So that tells you the story.”
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch expressed his happiness over the Swedish blue liner’s accomplishment, noting that it was rare.
“The odds of (Ekholm) scoring a hat trick tonight were probably pretty low, and it’s pretty exciting,” he said. “He’s been playing really good hockey and the fact that he’s got three tonight, everyone’s really happy for him.”
Teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was also happy for Ekholm, noting how hard he plays the game.
“You know what you’re gonna get from him. And usually it’s hard to play against,” Nugent-Hopkins explained. ”He’s going to make really good first plays and jump into the rush when he can, but he’s going to be tough to play against every night. So when he’s having a night like this, it’s obviously exciting, and it makes a huge difference.”
Depth scoring is always key for teams like the Oilers who are keen on making deep postseason runs, and they’ll take every goal they can get from players who aren’t expected to fill the back of the net on a routine basis.
Mattias Ekholm Joked It Could Be His Last Hat Trick
Ekholm, who knows that he isn’t counted on as a primary source of offense, was happy to contribute and later joked that he’d better enjoy the accomplishment as it may not happen again for the rest of his career.
“You look at the goals, it’s just trying to join the rush on the first two. And sometimes they just happen, right? There’s no real explanation,” Ekholm said. “It’s not like I changed my game overnight to then obviously score a hat trick. It’s just one of those things.
“Some nights you have your bounces go your way and whatnot. And, yeah, I’ll try to enjoy this one, because it’ll probably be my last.”
With his three-goal performance, Ekholm is now up to six total goals on the season.
The burly defenseman scored five goals during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs during Edmonton’s run to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, followed by another goal in last season’s playoffs.
Michael Whitaker Michael Whitaker is a sports journalist based in metro Detroit with nearly a full decade of experience with publications like Clutch Points and The Hockey News. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Eastern Michigan University. More about Michael Whitaker
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