Ekholm has already been shelved for Edmonton's previous three contests due to his undisclosed injury and now will be unavailable for another trio of tilts. During his brief four-game return from prior injury, the 34-year-old defender was offering decent offensive upside with six points in his last four contests.

As the Edmonton Oilers march toward the postseason, there is one goal in mind, and it's not necessarily to get home-field advantage.