Maple Leafs' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Misses practice Friday
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Ekman-Larsson missed practice Friday with an illness.
The Maple Leafs get a rare Saturday off as they do not play again until Sunday versus Utah. That will give Ekman-Larsson an extra day to get healthy. Ekman-Larsson has been a rock on the Toronto blue line and has chipped in with a goal and seven assists in 20 games. He is on a two-game point streak heading into action Sunday. Consider him day-to-day at this point. If he is unable to go, look for Jani Hakanpaa to enter the lineup.
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Maple Leafs' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Bags apple Wednesday
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Ekman-Larsson produced an assist, two PIM and three blocked shots in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Golden Knights.
Ekman-Larsson has a helper in back-to-back contests following an eight-game slump. He was moved back to the first pairing alongside Morgan Rielly for Wednesday's game after spending some time lower in the lineup. Ekman-Larsson has eight points, 38 shots on net, 31 hits, 23 blocked shots, 20 PIM and a plus-2 rating over 20 appearances. Fantasy managers may be willing to ride through streaky offense since he plays on a strong team and offers category coverage.
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Maple Leafs' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Offers assist to end slump
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Ekman-Larsson posted an assist, two hits, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over the Oilers.
Ekman-Larsson's hot October is a distant memory -- his helper Saturday ended an eight-game point drought. While he's no longer on the top pairing at even strength, he's still seeing significant usage and power-play time. The veteran defenseman is up to seven points, 38 shots on net, 31 hits, 20 blocked shots, 18 PIM and a plus-2 rating through 19 appearances. Ekman-Larsson's talent as an offensive blueliner and a strong supporting cast should keep him in the mix for fantasy consideration.
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Maple Leafs' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Strong start to season
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Ekman-Larsson picked up an assist in a 4-1 loss to the Rangers on Saturday.
OEL already has four assists and 17 shots in five outings in blue and white. He won't continue this pace, but given the firepower around him, Ekman-Larsson could deliver his first 40-plus point season since 2018-19 with Arizona.
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Maple Leafs' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Contributes two helpers
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Ekman-Larsson posted two assists, four shots on goal, two blocked shots, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Kings.
Ekman-Larsson helped out on the Maple Leafs' second and third goals in the first period. While both of those helpers were at even strength, Ekman-Larsson's fantasy value has received a boost with him playing on the top power-play unit. He's at three helpers, 15 shots on net, five hits, five blocked shots, four PIM and a plus-3 rating over four contests this season, but he could be in line for a big year if he continues to get significant minutes with the man advantage.
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Maple Leafs' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Showing chemistry with new partner
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Ekman-Larsson has been paired with Jake McCabe this preseason.
The duo appear to have early chemistry. Ekman-Larsson, who became the eighth defender in NHL history to win his first Stanley Cup title after playing at least 980 games, brings impressive hockey sense, skating and skill to the Leafs' blue line. Last year, he performed on the Panthers' second power-play unit, putting up 11 of his 32 points on the man advantage. He might be deployed in that role in Toronto, which could make reaching the 40-point plateau a real possibility.
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Maple Leafs' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Makes four-year commitment
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Ekman-Larsson signed a four-year, $14 million contract with the Maple Leafs on Monday, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Ekman-Larsson had nine goals, 32 points, 76 PIM, 105 hits and 70 blocked shots in 80 regular-season contests with the Panthers in 2023-24. He also recorded two goals, six points, 24 PIM, 65 hits and 18 blocks across 24 playoff contests this year in Florida's successful pursuit of the Stanley Cup. The 32-year-old might serve primarily on the third pairing in Toronto with the possible top-four grouping being Morgan Rielly, Timothy Liljegren, Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev. However, even if that's the case, Ekman-Larsson is still likely to see time on the second power-play unit.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Scores in Game 5 loss
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Ekman-Larsson scored a goal on three shots, added two hits and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Oilers in Game 5.
Ekman-Larsson's third-period goal brought the Panthers within one, but they couldn't tie the game. It was his second goal of the postseason and his second point in five games in the Stanley Cup Finals. The veteran defenseman has six points, 25 shots on net, 57 hits, 18 blocked shots, 24 PIM and an even plus-minus rating over 22 playoff outings in a bottom-four role.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Nabs helper in win
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Ekman-Larsson garnered an assist in a 4-1 Game 2 victory over Edmonton on Monday.
Ekman-Larsson was able to end a 10-game pointless streak dating back to May 10 versus Boston. Despite the helper, the blueliner remains mired in a 15-game goal drought, during which he's registered a mere 17 shots on net. Even with his limited production, Ekman-Larsson continues to see opportunities with the No. 2 power-play unit.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Won't play in finale
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Ekman-Larsson (upper body) won't play in Tuesday's regular-season finale, Colby Guy of Florida Hockey Now reports.
Ekman-Larsson is considered day-to-day with his upper-body issue, so there's a chance he'll be ready for Game 1 of Florida's upcoming first-round playoff series. He's picked up 32 points, 123 shots and 105 hits through 80 contests in a bottom-four role this season.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Day-to-day ahead of finale
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Ekman-Larsson (upper body) is considered day-to-day ahead of Tuesday's game versus Toronto, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.
Ekman-Larsson could avoid missing any game action after having been forced to leave Saturday's meeting with the Sabres after just 3:04 of ice time. The blueliner hasn't scored a goal since Jan. 27 versus the Islanders, a stretch of 31 games that has seen him register just seven assists with a plus-14 rating and 43 shots on goal.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Sustains upper-body injury
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Ekman-Larsson (upper body) won't return to Saturday's tilt versus the Sabres.
Ekman-Larsson logged just 3:04 of ice time in the contest. The Panthers have just one regular-season game left -- Tuesday at home versus the Maple Leafs -- so there's a very real chance the 32-year-old will be held out of that outing to rest up ahead of the playoffs. If he sits out, Josh Mahura or Tobias Bjornfot could enter the lineup.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Two helpers in win
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Ekman-Larsson collected two assists in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Blue Jackets.
He helped set up Matthew Tkachuk's tally just 47 seconds into the first period before also having a hand in a Sam Reinhart goal late in the second. Ekman-Larsson hadn't put together a multi-point performance since Jan. 26, and his goal drought stands at 30 games. On the season, the veteran blueliner has managed nine goals and 32 points in 79 contests.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Back in action
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Ekman-Larsson (rest) will draw back into the lineup for Thursday's game versus Columbus.
Ekman-Larsson was given the night off to rest Tuesday against Ottawa, but he'll return to a prominent role against the Blue Jackets, skating on the top pairing and second power-play unit. He's collected 30 points, 11 of which have come on the power play, through 78 contests this season.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Resting against Ottawa
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Ekman-Larsson will be rested against the Senators on Tuesday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.
Uvis Balinskis will replace Ekman-Larsson in the lineup against Ottawa. It wouldn't be surprising to see Ekman-Larsson, who's picked up 30 points through 78 contests this campaign, back in the lineup against Columbus on Thursday.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Ends pointless streak
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Ekman-Larsson was able to close out a 12-game pointless streak with an assist against the Rangers on Monday.
Despite the recent slump, Ekman-Larsson remains on track to reach the 30-point threshold for the first time since 2019-20, when he was with the Coyotes. Even with the helper, the blueliner still hasn't scored in 13 consecutive contests as he tries to snag that elusive 10th goal of his campaign.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Two PP helpers Friday
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Ekman-Larsson collected two power-play assists in Friday's 3-2 shootout win over the Penguins.
The performance on the power play was even more impressive considering the veteran blueliner saw only 29 seconds of ice time with the man advantage. His first multi-point performance since Dec. 30 gives him 24 points over 48 outings this campaign. Since Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour returned from injuries in mid-November, Ekman-Larsson has four goals, 14 points, 43 shots on net, 38 PIM, 24 blocked shots, 23 hits and a minus-7 rating in 32 games. Those are decent all-around numbers, but he probably isn't worth a roster spot in shallower fantasy formats.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Draws power-play assist
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Ekman-Larsson posted a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Golden Knights.
He's earned three helpers over the last three games, including two on the power play. Ekman-Larsson continues to see time on the second power-play unit despite his third-pairing role at even strength. For the season, he's produced 19 points, 60 shots on net, 44 blocked shots, 28 hits, 30 PIM and a minus-3 rating through 37 outings. He needs just three more points to match his production from 54 games with the Canucks last season.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Dishes pair of assists
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Ekman-Larsson registered two assists, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Oilers.
Ekman-Larssson helped out on first-period tallies by Carter Verhaeghe and Aleksander Barkov. This was Ekman-Larsson's first multi-point effort since Nov. 12, but the veteran defenseman has two goals and three assists across his last eight outings. He's up to 16 points, 50 shots on net, 22 hits, 41 blocked shots, 26 PIM and a plus-1 rating over 30 appearances. If Aaron Ekblad (lower body) misses additional time, Ekman-Larsson will likely be the Panthers' preferred fill-in on the top pairing.
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Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Provides goal Friday
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Ekman-Larsson supplied a goal in a 3-1 win over Pittsburgh on Friday.
Ekman-Larsson has been held off the scoresheet just once over his last four games, providing two goals and three points over that span. Through 26 contests this season, he has seven goals and 14 points. While he's likely to continue to be a noteworthy defenseman from an offensive standpoint, the 32-year-old has seen a drop in his power-play use since Brandon Montour returned from a shoulder injury. Ekman-Larsson averaged 3:38 of ice time with the man advantage over his first 16 contests while Montour was unavailable, but from Nov. 17-Dec. 6 with Montour in the lineup, that's dipped to 2:12. Ekman-Larsson's fantasy value has diminished somewhat as a result, but it hasn't fallen off a cliff.
