Mattias Ekholm may not dress for the game against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, SNW) because of an illness.
The defenseman was not at practice Wednesday. He left a 6-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday with 13:12 remaining in the third period.
"A little time off, maintenance," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said Wednesday, "and we're debating whether it's best for him to come back and play or something we've done other players, maybe a couple of days rest would be good for him. We'll find out. It's day to day and we'll determine later."
Ekholm has 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) in 60 games and averages 22:36 of ice time on Edmonton's top defense pair with Evan Bouchard.
"Before the break, he was extremely sick and you could hear it in his voice and now with his body a little bit," Knoblauch said. "It's just a little maintenance thing. It's something he could play, but where we are in the season, it's certainly something we don't want him to prolong."
The Oilers are 3-7-0 in their past 10 games and lost four of five on a road trip immediately following the 4 Nations Face-Off. Ekholm and forward Viktor Arvidsson played for Sweden and Connor McDavid for Canada.
"I think it's important for him to know how he's feeling," Knoblauch said. "I think it's important for the doctors and medical staff give that update if he should have that time off."
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