Defenceman Mattias Ekholm scores first hat trick, helps Edmonton Oilers make history

EDMONTON – Mattias Ekholm was among the first to celebrate when Edmonton Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard recorded his first-ever hat trick on Saturday.

On Monday, it was Ekholm’s turn. 

“I’m usually not known for my goal-scoring ability,” he said. “Couldn’t buy a goal for 20 games. So that tells you the story.”

Playing in his 938th regular-season NHL game on Monday, Ekholm contributed three tallies that helped the Oilers to a 7-4 victory over the visiting Anaheim Ducks.

The goals also landed him and his defensive partner in the history books as Edmonton became the first team in NHL history to have a defenceman record a hat trick in consecutive games.

The feat is “pretty remarkable,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. 

“The odds of (Ekholm) scoring a hat trick tonight were probably pretty low, and it’s pretty exciting,” he said. “He’s been playing really good hockey and the fact that he’s got three tonight, everyone’s really happy for him.”

Now in his fourth season with the Oilers (27-19-8), Ekholm has become part of Edmonton’s backbone.

He posted career highs in both goals (11) and points (45) over 79 regular-season games in the 2023-24 campaign, then added five more of each as the team worked its way to the Stanley Cup final.

“You know what you’re gonna get from him. And usually it’s hard to play against,” said Oilers winger Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “He’s going to make really good first plays and jump into the rush when he can, but he’s going to be tough to play against every night. So when he’s having a night like this, it’s obviously exciting, and it makes a huge difference.”

Ekholm went into Monday’s matchup without a goal in his last 22 appearances.

He ended the drought 6:28 into the second period thanks to a give-and-go with Zach Hyman. 

Ekholm sliced a behind-the-back pass to the winger, who dished it back at the top of the slot. The 35-year-old Swedish defenceman wasted no time directing the puck in past Ducks netminder Ville Husso from the low hash marks to give the Oilers a 3-2 lead. 

His second of the night came less than two minutes later when rookie Matt Savoie picked up the puck at centre ice and found Ekholm for a 2-on-1. Ekholm drove hard toward the net and elected to shoot, sending his shot into the top-right corner of the net for Edmonton’s fourth goal in three minutes and 49 seconds. All four came from defenceman. 

Ekholm completed the hat trick with 11 seconds left on the game clock. Leon Draisaitl won an offensive-zone faceoff and got it to the defenceman. Stationed at his own goal line, he sent it all the way down the ice into the middle of the Anaheim net.

“You look at the goals, it’s just trying to join the rush on the first two. And sometimes they just happen, right? There’s no real explanation,” Ekholm said. “It’s not like I changed my game overnight to then obviously score a hat trick. It’s just one of those things. 

“Some nights you have your bounces go your way and whatnot. And, yeah, I’ll try to enjoy this one, because it’ll probably be my last.”

DEFENSIVE QUESTION MARKS

The Ducks (28-22-3) tested Edmonton mightily in the third period, outshooting the home side 16-5. 

Mikael Granlund scored his third of the night 13:38 into the frame to cut Anaheim’s deficit to a single goal. All three of his tallies came on power plays. 

The Oilers know they can’t make defensive lapses a habit, Nugent-Hopkins said.

“Obviously, if we’re going to have success down the road, it’s going to be from the defensive side out. And we know that,” he said. 

“We’ve gone through it the past few years, and we definitely understand in here that’s going to be the difference for us. And we want to keep taking strides and keep improving on that aspect.”

STREAK SNAPPED

The result snapped Anaheim’s seven-game winning streak. 

Heading into Monday’s contest, the Ducks had not lost since falling 5-3 to the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 10.

After falling to the Oilers, head coach Joel Quenneville said his team should “take (its) lumps and be excited about the next game.

“It was certainly a good stretch of games,” he said. “Every game has been basically on the line until the last minute of the game, seven or eight in a row. We saw how good these guys are. They can entertain you from the other side of the bench as well. But at the same time, I would have liked to see the game more on the line for a longer stretch.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2026.