Ekholm, Pickard each could return for Oilers during Western Conference Final

EDMONTON -- Mattias Ekholm and Calvin Pickard each could return for the Edmonton Oilers at some point during the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said Friday.

Ekholm missed the first two rounds of the postseason with an undisclosed injury. The defenseman has not played since a 4-2 win against the San Jose Sharks on April 11, when he had just three shifts totaling 1:52 of ice time.

“He’s day to day and I’m not anticipating him being ready for Game 1 or 2," Knoblauch said. "But we’re optimistic that maybe some time in the third round he will join us."

Pickard sustained a lower-body injury in a 5-4 overtime win at the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Western Conference Second Round and missed Games 3, 4 and 5. The goalie is also day to day and expected to return at some point during the next round.

“Probably not when the series starts, but I would think probably sometime in the same timeline as Ekholm, sometime during the series,” Knoblauch said. “Certainly not Game 1, but sometime in the middle.”

Edmonton advanced to the conference final for the third time in four seasons after closing out Vegas with a 1-0 overtime win in Game 5 on a goal by forward Kasperi Kapanen on Wednesday.

The Oilers will face the Stars in the conference final after Dallas' 2-1 overtime win in Game 6 against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. Game 1 will take place at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).

Ekholm has been skating on his own and will rejoin the Oilers at practice once he's cleared by doctors. He had 33 points (nine goals, 24 assists) in 65 games this season.

The 34-year-old was a big part of Edmonton’s run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season, getting 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 25 playoff games while averaging 21:58 of ice time per game. The Oilers lost 2-1 at the Florida Panthers in Game 7 after battling back from a 3-0 deficit in the best-of-7 series.

Ekholm has not played an entire game since a 4-3 loss to Dallas on March 26. He missed the next seven games, made his brief appearance where he was forced to leave because of his injury, and then sat out the last three games of the season.

“To expect Ekholm, when he does join us, that he’s going to be the Ekholm that he saw last year in the playoffs, I don’t think that’s going to be the case,” Knoblauch said. “Whether it takes him one, two, four or five games, whatever it is, I think he’ll be able to help us in some aspect immediately and that will be up to him, I’m not sure how he’s feeling. Obviously, he’s not going to be joining us until he’s cleared by the doctor and is able to play, and is in good condition.”

The Oilers have managed well in the absence of Ekholm and Pickard, getting consecutive shutouts to eliminate the Golden Knights. Goalie Stuart Skinner made 23 saves in a 3-0 win in Game 4 and 24 saves in Game 5.

Defenseman Evan Bouchard (26:24 average time on ice during the playoffs), Darnell Nurse (24:51), Brett Kulak (24:15) and Jake Walman (20:09) have picked up the bulk of the play for Edmonton this postseason, along with John Klingberg (19:14), Troy Stecher (16:32) and Ty Emberson (9:29). Stecher replaced Emberson for the final two games against Vegas.

“Fortunately, we have a group of defensemen that are playing really well and we’re not in dire need to insert [Ekholm] when he’s not ready,” Knoblauch said. “But I think when he does play, it will be beneficial for us. I think the biggest part of it is 5-on-5 play, but also the penalty kill. He’s been a mainstay. He’s been our best penalty killer from what I’ve seen for two years, so having him be available for that will be important for us.”

Health has been key for the Oilers in the playoffs. They had a number of players out because of injury near the end of the regular season, including centers Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Trent Frederic, along with Klingberg and Walman.

Forward Evander Kane missed the entire regular season after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia before requiring a procedure on his knee. He returned for Game 2 of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings and has seven points (four goals, three assists) in 10 games this postseason.

On the topic of health, Knoblauch said McDavid is not suffering any ill effects from sliding into the end boards after the Edmonton captain raced back to break up an odd-man rush during the first period of Game 5.

“That was quite a play by [forward Zach] Hyman also; Hyman and McDavid on that backcheck to break up that play,” Knoblauch said. “He crashed into the boards and he’s fine.”

Although the rest will do the Oilers good, Knoblauch said he would rather the layoff between rounds not be extensive.

“The playoffs are a grind, it’s physical hockey, it’s 100 percent effort every time you’re not the ice and it can wear guys down,” he said. “We also have to be cognizant of being ready to start up again.

"I feel we’re always better when we’re keeping things rolling, not having a long break. I don’t think we got off to a good start at the start of the season, after the 4 Nations [Face-Off], after the Christmas break. We don’t want this to stretch out too long, but I think at this time of the year, probably health and energy levels is the most important thing.”