PROJECTED LINEUP: Ekholm to make his long-awaited return in Game 5 against the Stars

DALLAS, TX – The Viking is back and ready to conquer.

Defenceman Mattias Ekholm will return to the lineup and make his 2025 playoff debut on Thursday night when the Edmonton Oilers attempt to eliminate the Dallas Stars from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final at American Airlines Center.

"It's been a journey for sure," Ekholm said. "It's not fun, especially come playoff time. This is my first time dealing with anything like this, but since the day I got hurt, I've had a feeling that the team was going to do their part. It was up to me to find ways to get healthy as quickly as possible, and I think I've done everything in my power.

"These last couple weeks, there's been a lot of anxious moments watching the games, but I felt like I made pretty steady progress up until this point, so I'm really happy where it's at. If you look at the initial prognosis, I shouldn't be here, so it's a bonus that I am, and I'm happy to be here."

Ekholm was back alongside Evan Bouchard on the top defensive pairing during Thursday's pre-game skate at American Airlines Center, where the Oilers ran with a 12-and-six deployment of their forwards and defence over the option of going with an 11-and-seven combination to help manage his minutes.

Despite his layoff, the rearguard is ready to take on his regular role for a pivotal Game 5 against the Stars, where the Oilers will have the chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year to face the Florida Panthers, who eliminated the Carolina Hurricanes in five games on Wednesday.

"I guess it's a feel-out process, but you'll have to ask the coaches about that. We haven't talked much about it," Ekholm said about managing his minutes. "I know we're going at six D if I'm playing, so that gives you an idea, but I feel like I'm ready. I feel like I can play. I haven't played in a while, so it'll be a bit of an adjustment. But I feel great, and I don't think I'm playing 26 minutes, but I do think I'm ready to play somewhat of a normal role."

The Swedish blueliner hasn't played since April 11, when he played only three shifts and 1:52 of ice time in his first game back from missing seven games due to an injury, leading to him missing the last four games of the regular season and all 15 games so far in the 2025 playoffs.

"It's mostly been a conversation with our doctors," Ekholm said. "I came back twice and re-aggravated it about two months ago, and I'm making sure that I'm in a good spot where I can not just play, but also withstand some blows, and that's what the playoffs are all about. You're gonna get hit, you're gonna get knocked down, but just be able to know that I am strong enough to be in a position where I can not only play, but defend as well.

Troy Stecher served as one of Edmonton's extra skaters during the full-team practice alongside Cam Dineen, Max Jones, Derek Ryan and Connor Brown and is anticipated to come out of the lineup to make way for the Swedish defenceman's return.

Since getting into the lineup in Game 4 of the Second Round against the Golden Knights, Stecher has been an impactful presence on the blueline with his ability to contribute to Edmonton's possession-based approach to defending, with his omission tonight showcasing the exceptional depth the Oilers have at their disposal by having to take an effective player out of the lineup.

"It is hard," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "There's a good rhythm, there's good flow, and pairs are working very well together. But anytime you have an opportunity to add a significant player to your lineup, somebody that's been one of your best players for a long period of time, when he's healthy and ready, it's pretty tough to keep a player like that out. So yeah, it's unfortunate. The six have been playing really well, but we have the opportunity to add Ekholm, and we feel that that's the right thing to do."

Ekholm doesn't want to alter that dynamic upon his return to the lineup or play with a reserved approach in his first game in nearly two months, which also happens to be Edmonton's opportunity to clinch their spot in the Stanley Cup Final at the expense of the Stars for the second straight year.

"I'm just going to go out and play my game," he said. "If I go out there and try to play somewhat safe, it's not going to suit us very well. So the first couple of shifts, I'll probably try to make the simple play. But other than that, I'm looking to play how I've been successful in this league. That's how I've got to be.

"It's going to be harder than normal, knowing that I haven't played in a while, but at the same time, just go out and do my thing. Hopefully, that will help the team have success."

The Oilers are also dealing with the loss of Zach Hyman for the remainder of the playoffs, and Jeff Skinner will replace the winger to make his second career postseason appearance on a line with Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic on Thursday after serving as a healthy scratch since Game 2 of the First Round.

"Yeah, I feel good. I'm excited to get going," Skinner said. "The guys have been battling hard for a while now, and it's nice to get in there and contribute."

Skinner had an assist in Game 1 against the Kings and will be leaned on for his offensive touch to help make up for the absence of Hyman, along with getting in on the forecheck that's helped the Oilers turn the tide in this series and build a 3-1 advantage over the Stars.

"Just keep it simple," he said. "The guys have been playing really well and battling really hard, and I'm just trying to come in, read off those guys and keep it simple and try to contribute."

View the Oilers Projected Game 5 Lineup vs. Dallas below:

Nugent-Hopkins - McDavid - Perry
Kane - Draisaitl - Kapanen
Skinner - Henrique - Frederic
Podkolzin - Janmark - Arvidsson

Ekholm - Bouchard
Nurse - Kulak
Walman - Klingberg

Skinner
Pickard