Ekholm Surpasses 100 Points as Oilers Defeat Panthers
The Edmonton Oilers secured a 6-3 victory over the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday night, marking their first meeting as the Panthers’ appearance in last season’s Stanley Cup Final. A key contributor to the win was defenseman Mattias Ekholm,who registered a goal and two assists,pushing him over the 100-point mark in his Oilers career.
Ekholm’s goal, his second of the season, extended Edmonton’s lead to 3-1 in the first period. The three-point performance also ended a seven-game scoreless streak for the 35-year-old. The victory snapped a three-game winless streak for the Oilers (0-2-1).
Playing alongside Evan Bouchard, who also tallied three points via assists, Ekholm was a driving force in the Oilers’ offensive success.
“They have been cruel. Very reliable and fierce in both the offensive and defensive zone,” Oilers forward Jack Roslovic commented on the pairing. “Really stable.”
Goaltender Stuart Skinner echoed the sentiment, stating, ”It’s amazing to see them do their thing. They work very hard and are skilled players. They work hard at both ends of the ice. It is an important factor for us and they help us win games.”
Acquired by Edmonton via trade during the 2022-23 season, Ekholm now has 102 points (26 goals and 78 assists) in 189 games played for the Oilers.
The Oilers quickly established control of the game, with Roslovic scoring just 25 seconds into the first period. After Anton Lundell tied the game for Florida at 6:30, Roslovic responded just 36 seconds later to regain the lead. Ekholm than added his goal at 13:58, beating Sergei Bobrovsky with a shot from the slot.
Vasily Podkolzin extended the Oilers’ advantage to 4-1 in the second period, but goals from Mackie Samoskevich and Sam Reinhart narrowed the gap. edmonton ultimately held on,sealing the win with empty-net goals from Connor mcdavid and Matt Savoie in the final minutes.
