Mattias Ekholm beats the odds to return from injury for Stanley Cup Final

Mattias Ekholm wasn’t about to be the farm on making a return from injury in time for the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, but he is reaping what he’s sewn.

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The Edmonton Oilers defenceman beat all odds during the recovery process after he reaggravated an undisclosed injury that kept him in and out of the lineup since February, forcing him to miss 17 of the last 31 regular-season games.

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Prior to playoffs, he made one last attempt to return to the ice on April 11, but only managed to last a pair of shifts in just 1:52 of ice time, which ended with him falling down twice all on his own before making an unceremonious exit.

Let’s just say it didn’t instill any confidence in fans or his fellow players that they would see him again this season.

“We thought maybe there was a chance of getting into the Finals late, but that was just wishful thinking if everything went well,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “So, for him to join us in the Third Round, that was a bonus. We weren’t expecting that.”

Ekholm ended up returning in the tail end of the Western Conference Final to pitch in on the way to a 6-3 doubling of the Dallas Stars in Game 5, picking up a pretty assist that sprung captain Connor McDavid on a long breakaway to pretty much seal the deal.

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“His first game, he exceeded expectations,” Knoblauch said. “And I say that because you never know what you’re going to get from a player coming back from an injury.

“He had been out for weeks, and then to come in to play against Dallas, who’s a good team, in a high-paced playoff game, he looked very comfortable and made a lot of nice plays and looked a lot like what we’re accustomed to seeing Ecky play, because he’s a heck of a player and you never know if he’s going to be able to pick that up right away.

“He played almost 16 minutes that night. Can he play some more? Absolutely. Can he play 30? Probably not there yet. But over 20, yes.”

The 15:52 Ekholm was out there for might not have set any personal records, as fans are used to seeing him play the lion’s share of ice time either next to Evan Bouchard on the top pairing, or quarterbacking the penalty kill.

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But it was way more time in the playoff spotlight than he initially expected he might get.

“It’s amazing. Six weeks ago, I had no clue where I was going to be at, and most people didn’t think I was going to be in this position,” Ekholm said. “So, to be able to be part of this group, to be part of things on the ice and help this team win has obviously been the goal the whole time.

“And now that it’s reality, it’s awesome for me, personally.”

Especially considering a year ago, he was part of an Oilers squad that fell 2-1 to the very same Florida organization in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

That was the second time he’s went the distance in his career, after initially being part of a Nashville Predators team that fell 4-2 in the series to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“There is a bit of experience there, and I know that a conference championship is obviously something you really want,” Ekholm said. “But it’s the big prize that we all want, and I think that’s the focus right now, and we all seem to be pretty calm with that.”

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Especially now that the Oilers got the biggest piece of their defensive puzzle back. Not that they were doing too badly in that department on their current run of 12 wins compared to only four of a possible nine losses up to this point in the post-season proceedings.

They enter the Cup Final on a four-game win streak where they’ve allowed a total of five goals.

And they’re looking for Ekholm to help tighten the screws even more against Florida.

“I obviously had my doubts. When doctors tell you something, they’re usually right,” said Ekholm, who wasted no time seeking a second opinion back in April. “But big credit goes out to everything we’ve done with it, from ownership to management, to trainers, to doctors, everybody’s helped in a big way.

“I knew there were cases that have gone quicker than the actual timeline and that’s all that was in my head. I wanted to beat that and be back as soon as possible. And sometimes that doesn’t work out, but this time it certainly did, so I’m happy. Surprised or not? I don’t know. I think I put in the hard work and it paid off.”

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E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

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