The Edmonton Oilers delivered a statement performance Monday night, lighting the lamp seven times in a 7-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks. But this wasn’t just another high-scoring night for one of the NHL’s most dangerous offensive squads - this was a night for the history books, thanks to a blue-line barrage that turned the game on its head.
After a back-and-forth first period, the Oilers flipped the switch in the second - and it was their defensemen who took center stage. In a span of just 3 minutes and 49 seconds, Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, and Spencer Stastney combined for four goals, setting a new NHL record for the fastest four goals by defensemen in league history.
It all started at 4:36 of the second period. Stastney, playing in just his second game with the Oilers, jumped into the rush and buried his first goal in an Edmonton sweater.
Less than two minutes later, Ekholm stepped into a lane and ripped home his first of the night. The Ducks barely had time to regroup before Nurse struck next - an unassisted tally that pushed the lead and the momentum firmly in Edmonton’s favor.
Then came Ekholm again, capitalizing on a Ducks turnover and beating Ville Husso to cap off the record-setting stretch.
And Ekholm wasn’t done yet.
Late in the third, with Anaheim’s net empty and the Oilers looking to seal the deal, the 35-year-old defenseman found the back of the net once more - completing his first career hat trick and putting an exclamation point on a night he won’t soon forget.
“I’ll try to enjoy this one because it’ll probably be my last,” Ekholm said with a grin postgame, fully aware of how rare this kind of night is for a defenseman.
Remarkably, Ekholm’s milestone came just two nights after Evan Bouchard recorded a hat trick of his own against Washington. That makes the Oilers the first team in NHL history to have defensemen record hat tricks in back-to-back games - a feat that speaks volumes about the depth and versatility of this group.
It wasn’t just the blue line getting in on the action, either. Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid each chipped in with a goal and an assist, continuing their steady production up front. And while Leon Draisaitl didn’t find the net himself, he was a playmaking force all night, finishing with four assists.
Between the pipes, Tristan Jarry held strong under pressure, turning aside 36 of 40 shots. It wasn’t a perfect night defensively, but Jarry made the key saves when it mattered and gave the Oilers the stability they needed to close things out.
Now riding a wave of momentum - and riding high off a bit of NHL history - the Oilers will look to keep things rolling when they welcome the San Jose Sharks to town on Thursday. If their defense keeps scoring like this, opposing teams might have to start game-planning for Edmonton’s blue line the same way they do for McDavid and company.