The Edmonton Oilers try to realize a foothold atop the Pacific Division before the NHL breaks for the 2026 Winter Olympics. On Monday, the Oilers needed to tackle the Anaheim Geese. They usually got a large contribution from veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm on this Pacific Division showdown.
Ekholm accomplished the primary hat trick of his profession against the Geese. His effort helped fuel Edmonton to a giant 7-4 win over Anaheim, bringing them inside a tie of the Vegas Golden Knights for first within the division. Furthermore, he helped achieve multiple historic feats.
Ekholm’s hat trick signifies that the Oilers are the primary team in NHL history to get back-to-back hat tricks from defensemen, in line with NHL Public Relations. Evan Bouchard recorded a hat trick on Saturday as a part of a six-point night. Edmonton defeated the Washington Capitals that night by a rating of 6-5.
These hat tricks are also part of a bigger, league-wide feat. There have now been 27 hat tricks within the month of January, tying the record for probably the most hat tricks in a single month, in line with NHL insider Frank Seravalli. This figure was also aided by Geese forward Mikael Granlund, who also scored a hat trick on Monday.
The Oilers improved to 27-19-8 on the season. Edmonton, as mentioned, is now tied on points with the Golden Knights for first within the Pacific Division. They’ve won 4 of their last six games, and appear to be a real postseason contender in a top-heavy Western Conference. Edmonton will look for his or her third straight win after they tackle the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.