EDMONTON – The waiting game.

No one likes to wait, least of all hockey players. The Edmonton Oilers will have a breather while the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars duke it out to determine who will play Edmonton.

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In the meantime, that provides something injured players desperately need: time. Time to recover, rehab, and get back into game shape.

On Friday morning, Kris Knoblauch updated the press on Mattias Ekholm's and Calvin Pickard's status heading into the third round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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Calvin Pickard

Pickard has been injured since Game 2 of the Oilers series against the Vegas Golden Knights. He finished the game, securing his sixth consecutive victory during this postseason.

Knoblauch said he won’t be available early on in the series, but he did say that he should return in the middle of the third round.

Mattias Ekholm

Ekholm has been injured for a while now, and his prognosis has been poor. Now, the Oilers appear to be getting some good news regarding his situation.

Knoblauch said that Ekholm would not be available for Games 1 or 2. He’s optimistic that Ekholm will return in the third round and describes him as “day-to-day.”

If the Oilers could get Pickard and Ekholm back for Game 3 or 4 of the third round, that would be a huge morale boost for the team. If not, they can keep trucking along with the current roster.

After all, they did finish off the Golden Knights without them.

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