The Edmonton Oilers will be without one of their key defencemen, Mattias Ekholm, for their season opener against the Vancouver Canucks.
The Swedish veteran missed the majority of training camp with a hip flexor injury, but hoped to be in the Oilers' lineup for the first game of the season.
He told reporters earlier this month that the goal of his recovery was to be pain-free.
"You don't have much time to heal during the season, so taking the time now to do it and do it for real," Ekholm said at the time. "[The recovery] has been way slower than I thought, I thought I would be full-on a couple weeks ago and I haven't been, so we're being cognizant about it."
Ekholm, a deadline acquisition last season in a trade that sent Tyson Barrie to the Nashville Predators, played 21 regular-season games for the Oilers, scoring four goals and 14 points.
The Canucks will be without a few notable players as well, with Carson Soucy remaining out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury. Teddy Blueger and Guillaume Brisebois have also been sidelined.
You can watch the Canucks take on the Oilers live on Sportsnet and Sportsnet Plus at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
