Edmonton Oilers blue line shaken after star defenseman goes down with injury

Jan 28, 2026 (3:29 PM)

Photo credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Mattias Ekholm is day-to-day, and the Edmonton Oilers suddenly feel exposed heading into the San Jose Sharks game.

Kris Knoblauch called it an injury situation worth monitoring, and that’s never what you want after a feel-good win.

Ekholm is listed as questionable for Thursday night in Edmonton, which is a massive swing for the pairings.

The Oilers are 27-19-8, and they’re trying to bank points in a tight Pacific race.

This stings more because Ekholm just had a statement night with a hat trick in a 7-4 win over Anaheim on Monday.

Here’s the original "day-to-day" note from OilersDaily:

"Mattias Ekholm is day-to-day with an injury. Questionable for tomorrow night."

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And here’s the OilersNation gut-punch reaction, crediting Tony Brar:

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If Ekholm can’t go, the Oilers lose their calmest puck mover under pressure.

That changes how they break out, and it can turn clean exits into glass-and-out shifts.

It also forces heavier minutes on Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse, and that can snowball fast.

Oilers fans have seen this movie, the timing always feels cruel when the room finally has momentum.

Against San Jose, Edmonton still has to respect a young, fast attack that lives off broken plays.

The Oilers can win with pace, but they need cleaner gaps from the blue line if Ekholm sits.

Watch the first ten minutes, if the Oilers start chasing, you’ll know the missing piece matters.

Thursday is about surviving the noise, grabbing two points, and hoping "day-to-day" stays short.

Previously on HockeyLatest

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JANVIER 28\|163 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers blue line shaken after star defenseman goes down with injury Should the Edmonton Oilers sit Mattias Ekholm as a precaution on Thursday even if he says he's okay to play?
Yes	130	79.8 %
No	33	20.2 %
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