Ekholm scores hat trick, Edmonton Oilers hold off Anaheim Ducks for 7-4 victory
By Canadian Press on January 26, 2026.
EDMONTON — Mattias Ekholm scored a hat trick and the Edmonton Oilers rode a dominant second period to a 7-4 victory over the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Monday.
Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid each added a goal and an assist for the Oilers (27-19-8), Spencer Stastney scored his first in an Edmonton jersey and Darnell Nurse rounded out the scoring.
Leon Draisaitl contributed four helpers and Tristan Jarry stopped 36 of the 40 shots he faced.
Three of Anaheim’s four goals came from Mikael Granlund on the power play, starting with his 10th tally of the season 3:23 into the game.
His linemate Alex Killorn added an even-strength tally 55 seconds into the middle frame, Beckett Sennecke notched two assists, and Ville Husso made 25 saves in the loss.
The result snapped a seven-game win streak for the Ducks (28-22-3), who downed the Calgary Flames 4-3 in overtime on Sunday.
TAKEAWAYS
Oilers: Leaned heavily on Jarry in the third period where they were outshot 16-5. … Gave up multiple power-play goals for the first time in 17 games. … Got some fresh faces into the lineup with winger Kasperi Kapanen returning after missing three games with an injury and centre Josh Samanski made his NHL debut.
Ducks: Pulled Husso for the extra attacker with just over two minutes left on the game clock, but couldn’t get a puck past Jarry for the equalizer. McDavid and Ekholm each scored on the empty net. … Came into each period strong, but faded as the game wore on. … Winger Cutter Gauthier helped out on Granlund’s first goal of the night and extended his point streak to five games with three goals and four assists across the stretch.
KEY MOMENT
Edmonton’s offence exploded midway through the second with four goals over a span of three minutes and 39 seconds. Stastney sparked the onslaught 4:36 into the frame, launching a shot from inside the faceoff circle that hit the skate of Ducks defenceman Olen Zellweger and pinged into the back of the Anaheim net.
KEY STAT
The Oilers got four straight goals from defencemen (Stastney, Ekholm and Nurse) for the third time in franchise history. The previous instances came on March 21, 2004 and March 31, 1985.
UP NEXT
Ducks: Visit the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2026.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
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