Ekholm’s subtle stick saved the day in Edmonton Oilers playoff opener
The Edmonton Oilers had to get a game-saving play in the dying seconds of Game 1 against the Anaheim Ducks.
Kasperi Kapanen was the hero of Monday night, netting two goals in the playoff opener, including the eventual game-winner with just under two minutes left in regulation. It was the most important part of Edmonton’s 4-3 victory, but the second-most critical came in the dying seconds after his goal.
With the Anaheim net empty and the clock ticking down the final 15 seconds of the game, Ducks forward Troy Terry shovelled the puck to the front of the Oilers’ net. Edmonton goaltender Connor Ingram was left in no-man’s land, and Anaheim’s Mikael Granlund had an empty net to shoot at, but he missed.
Instead of throwing the puck into the open net, Granlund swung the puck directly into Ingram’s pad, while Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard found a way to clear it down the ice.
Mikael Granlund had THE ENTIRE NET to shoot at in the dying seconds but shot it DIRECTLY at Connor Ingram's pad 😵😵💫 pic.twitter.com/K3Cg9Z3IH4
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 21, 2026
In real speed, you may have just thought that Granlund simply missed the net, or that Ingram found a way to come up with a miraculous save, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Ingram technically made the save on the play, but he admitted that he didn’t do much and got a lot of help from his Oilers teammates.
“I think somebody got a stick on it at the top of the crease,” Ingram said. “I went flying over there thinking Terry was going to [shoot] it, and he didn’t. He fired it back into it, and I think it was [Bouchard] who bailed me out; that was a game-saver.”
"It's loud in there. After the anthem, one thing I always do is smile & take it all in. That was one today where I was like, this is cool."
Connor Ingram on the atmosphere at @RogersPlace during his first #Oilers playoff game.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/TlWqIsP2wL
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 21, 2026
Upon closer look, it appears Ingram is right about someone getting a stick in Granlund’s way. It was veteran defender Mattias Ekholm who disrupted the Ducks’ sniper enough to miss the wide-open net.
It was a clear stick-on-stick check that prevented Granlund from getting the right position to make the tap-in play.
I think Ekholm prevented this from going in. Stick on stick, and Granlund’s shot went wide.
Oilers win Game 1. pic.twitter.com/pU0cnEf3H6
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) April 21, 2026
Ekholm has quietly been among the best defencemen in the NHL this season, and it’s quickly becoming evident how important he is to this club.
Edmonton will need to continue to get this type of play if they hope to leave Alberta with a 2-0 series lead on Wednesday night.