Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm was helped off the ice tonight after a collision along the boards against the Hurricanes.
Sportsnet shared the moment, which came with 19:45 left in the third period and Carolina up 4-2.
The frame shows Ekholm down on the ice near the faceoff circle, propping himself up on one arm with his stick still in hand.
Dr. Harjas Grewal said a concussion protocol is likely.
That's an outside read based on the clip, not a team diagnosis.
Edmonton can survive a lot, but losing its steadiest defender right before the Leafs come to town would sting.
It's like losing the guy who holds the ladder. You don't notice him until you're up there alone.
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Mattias Ekholm injury scare draws concerning assessment from Dr. Harjas Grewal
Ekholm came in with a +16 rating on a $4,000,000 cap hit.
Only Connor McDavid, at +17, had a better rating on the team.
The 36-year-old also has 3 points this season.
Evan Bouchard leads the Oilers' blue line with 18 points.
He's also at +16 with 2 game-winners.
Connor Murphy and Ryan Shea have logged regular minutes, but neither has matched Ekholm's plus-minus.
Shakir Mukhamadullin sits at -5 in five games.
Jake Walman is back in the lineup, which gives Mike Babcock at least one more option on the back end.
Edmonton came in at 7-1-1, but its home record sits at just 2-1-1.
The Oilers had already allowed 31 goals in nine games, so the defense was under pressure before this.
Babcock has spent the week asking his depth to carry more, and that request just got bigger.
Carolina came in at 8-2-1 and 6-1-0 on the road.
Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes with 14 points, while Andrei Svechnikov has 2 game-winners.
Toronto visits Saturday, with Auston Matthews leading the Leafs at 18 points.
If Ekholm misses time, who steps into his minutes against the Leafs?
The Oilers will wait on the doctors. The rest of the league will be watching to see how deep this blue line really is.
Should the Oilers add a defenseman if Mattias Ekholm misses time?
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