Ekholm scores first NHL hat trick as Oilers beat Ducks 7-4 and snap Anaheim’s streak

Mattias Ekholm scored the first hat trick of his NHL career as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Anaheim Ducks 7-4 on Monday night at Rogers Place, snapping Anaheim’s seven-game winning streak. Ekholm, a 35-year-old defenseman, entered the game with just three goals on the season, then erupted for three as Edmonton’s blue line powered a decisive surge.

The win carried a historical footnote: Edmonton became the first team in NHL history to record hat tricks by defensemen in consecutive games, after Evan Bouchard’s three-goal performance in a recent overtime victory. For a sport where hat tricks usually come from top-line forwards, the back-to-back defensive explosions were the kind of statistical oddity that instantly becomes trivia.

The game swung in the second period when the Oilers piled on four goals in a rapid 3:49 span, turning a close contest into a multi-goal cushion. Ekholm was at the center of the breakaway, jumping into the rush with well-timed reads, converting chances, and later sealing the result with empty-net scoring as Anaheim pushed to rally late.

Edmonton’s stars contributed around the edges of Ekholm’s headline night. Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman each produced a goal and an assist, while Leon Draisaitl stacked up four assists—an illustration of how Edmonton’s attack can morph from star-driven to committee-driven when the defense activates and the transition game clicks.

Anaheim had its own standout in Mikael Granlund, who recorded a hat trick of his own, with all three goals coming on the power play. That special-teams output kept the Ducks within range even after Edmonton’s burst, and it underscored how quickly games can tighten when penalties mount and a skilled unit gets repeated looks.

But at even strength, Edmonton’s pace and defensive involvement created too many breakdowns for Anaheim to survive. The Oilers generated offense off neutral-zone turnovers and rush chances, with defensemen joining as second-wave attackers—plays that can be high-risk, high-reward, and on this night paid off repeatedly.

For Edmonton, the result is both two points and a confidence marker after some uneven stretches: the team showed it can win with contributions far beyond its top scorers. For Anaheim, the streak ended, but the late push and power-play potency offered signals the Ducks can carry forward—even if Monday’s lesson was that a fast team with elite playmakers can punish small mistakes in a hurry.