- Mattias Ekholm says his head hit against the Hurricanes was a concussion
- The Oilers defenseman skated on his regular pair with Evan Bouchard on Tuesday
- Read below for his scrum quotes and where the lineup stands for Wednesday
Mattias Ekholm had a concussion, and he says he feels fine.
The Oilers defenseman spoke with reporters Tuesday after practice, his first public comments since he slammed his head on the ice in last Thursday’s win over the Hurricanes. He missed the next two games and returned to the ice skating alongside Evan Bouchard.
Ekholm was asked how he was feeling and whether he had cleared the protocol steps.
“It was a funky one; I’ve never had a concussion in my career so far,” Ekholm said. “It was scary at first; my legs just kind of gave out and couldn’t really get up. As soon as I got down the tunnel, it was kind of like somebody flipped the light switch on and I was kind of back to normal. I had no headache, no symptoms, no nothing.”
He added that he felt good five minutes after it happened and figures it could have been a lot worse.
“I think I got an angel watching over me or something on that one,” he said.
Watch the full Ekholm media session from the Oilers:
Head coach Mike Babcock didn’t commit to anything on his return. Ekholm’s status is still up in the air for Wednesday’s Battle of Alberta. Shakir Mukhamadullin filled in on the blue line Monday against the Red Wings.
Babcock set the tone after the injury, calling Ekholm “a bit of a Viking anyway” and saying he’d be fine in a week or 10 days. Here’s the original update from that postgame:
Jason Dickinson also looks close to a return. The veteran center has missed nine of the Oilers’ first 12 games with a pair of unrelated injuries, and he said he’s feeling good while taking an “abundance of caution.” Dickinson skated between Isaac Howard and Mathieu Joseph at practice.
Edmonton still has a lot of bodies on the shelf. Zach Hyman left Monday’s game with an injury, and Devon Levi, Matt Savoie and Frederik Andersen are all still working their way back.
Ekholm sounds ready. Babcock gets to decide whether Wednesday is the night.
