POST-GAME: Ek of a debut

EDMONTON, AB - "I thought he showed exactly what he's going to bring to this team tonight," captain Connor McDavid said post-game about the Oilers stalwart back-end addition.
"Just a stable, really good, solid defender back there."
Newly-acquired defenceman Mattias Ekholm is still learning names just over 24 hours into his Oilers tenure, but his debut in Blue & Orange during Wednesday's statement 5-2 victory at Rogers Place over the Toronto Maple Leafs was a great first impression from the Swede to his new fanbase, teammates and coaches after being traded to Edmonton from Nashville on Tuesday.
"I was out there with Bouch a lot. He made it easy for me," Ekholm said from the Oilers dressing room for the first time. "Every once in a while, you'll just yell loudly and they usually hear you. It's not going to be perfect with names, I apologize for that, but as we get going here, I'll learn."
Learning the names and faces of his new organization will take some time after boarding a flight early Wednesday morning and making it to Rogers Place in the afternoon to suit up for his Oilers against the Maple Leafs.
The 32-year-old arrived around 1:30 p.m. and entered the Oilers facilities for the first time only personally knowing two people in the organization -- fellow namesake and Swede Mattias Janmark, whom he won a gold medal with at the 2018 World Championship, and video coach Jeremy Coupal, who worked in the Predators organization from 2013-16.
Ekholm's terrific performance in his first game with the Oilers was instant gratification for himself toward his new opportunity of contributing to a contender's Stanley Cup push. Being able to beat the Maple Leafs in his first game for his new club is a nice bonus, as well.
"To be honest, I'd rather have it this way because you see the guys right away, you get in a game situation, you get to know them, and especially, it's kind of nice to beat Toronto home the first game, right?" he said.
"It's been a whirlwind of 24 hours but I'm super happy and excited to be here."

Ekholm's debut with Edmonton included an assist, two shots, three hits, two blocks and a plus-2 rating in 20:50 of ice time -- 2:28 of which came on the penalty kill. He showed strong early chemistry alongside Evan Bouchard and praised the young blueliner's on-ice communication and vision for finding teammates with tape-to-tape passes.
In Ekholm's own game, his new teammates observed a fearless defenceman and tough, physical presence that will make it difficult for opponents to occupy the net-front area without having to go through the 6-foot-4, 215-pound rearguard.
"The first kind of glance I got of him is how well he plays in the D zone," centre Ryan McLeod said. "He was shutting guys down left and right, and he was really physical and it didn't look like it was very fun to play against him, so I'm glad he's on our team."
Edmonton's new number 14 also showcased some strong puck-moving skills against Toronto five minutes into the second period, picking out Leon Draisaitl with a full-ice bank pass off the boards that led to a breakaway chance for Zach Hyman after getting the primary helper on the Toronto native's goal in the opening frame.

"Just a stable force back there," McDavid said. "Just kind of reads the play so well. He's always in the right spot and he's a leader. He uses his voice and you can't get enough of that in the locker room."
"I thought for 14, he has a way about him that I think inspires confidence in the people he's on the ice with. He has veteran poise," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft added. "He's a huge man, defends well, moves pucks, and for just having met a few hours earlier, I thought it was a positive sign that both he and Bouch played the game that they played tonight against a really good hockey team."
Alongside Bouchard, Ekholm's addition to the back end at first glance has shuffled Edmonton's defensive pairings into an order that Woodcroft is comfortable with after seeing the results in Wednesday's victory.
"Yeah, I think so. That is not a slight on anybody that's been here, but I think when the batting order is set a certain way, everybody looks good," the head coach said. "I thought we got good minutes from everybody who played tonight on the back end up front, but it was nice to add someone of Ekholm's quality to the lineup."

Only one game into his time with the Oilers, Ekholm is already embracing his role of taking on the tough defensive assignments against teams' top lines down the stretch and into the post-season, where he has experience from eight straight seasons in playing playoff hockey and contending for the Stanley Cup Finals in 2016-17 with the Predators.
"I take a lot of pride in the defensive side of the game," he said. "I think that's where I'm at my best, so knowing that if I do my job to 100 percent, there's a high probability that the outcome of the game is going to be really good.
"For me to come in and have a role of trying to shut their big lines down and keep the opposition to a low score, it's my job coming in here and so far, so good.
"It's a first win and a good first start."