NHL Playoffs Buzz: Ekholm won't play in Western 2nd Round for Oilers

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Edmonton Oilers

Mattias Ekholm will not play for the Oilers against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Second Round.

The defenseman is out with an undisclosed injury and will not be available in the best-of-7 series, coach Kris Knoblauch said.

Ekholm missed the entire first round against the Los Angeles Kings, won by Edmonton in six games. The Oilers eliminated the Kings with a 6-4 win in Game 6 at Rogers Place on Thursday.

The 34-year-old had 33 points (nine goals, 24 assists) in 65 games this season and averaged 22:12 minutes of ice time on the Oilers top defensive pair mainly alongside Evan Bouchard.

Ekholm has not played an entire game since a 4-3 win against the Dallas Stars on March 26. He missed the next seven games and returned in a 4-2 win against the San Jose Sharks on April 11 but left after playing 1:52. He did not play in the last three games of the season.

Ekholm had 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 25 playoff games last season, helping the Oilers reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final where they lost 2-1 to the Florida Panthers. -- Derek Van Diest

Dallas Stars

Jason Robertson skated with the Stars for the first time since sustaining an injury, but did not play in the 4-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round on Saturday.

Robertson, who led the Stars with 35 goals in the regular season, sustained a lower-body injury at the Nashville Predators on April 16 and has not played since. He was ruled week to week but has since been upgraded to day to day.

"He's with the group. That's the next step for him, incorporating with the group," Stars coach Peter DeBoer said Saturday.

Miro Heiskanen, the Stars' No. 1 defenseman, is skating with the team but remains out with a lower-body injury and did not play in Game 7. He hasn't played since Jan. 28.