It’s not often that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are upstaged on the scoresheet in Edmonton. They probably don’t mind that it was Oilers’ defensemen taking turns stealing the spotlight Monday night.
In an entertaining 7-4 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Place, the Oilers made history on multiple occasions.
Trailing 2-1 early in the second period, the Oilers took control with four consecutive goals by defensemen in a span of 3:49. That was notable for many reasons:
• It was the fastest four goals by defensemen in league history
• It was only the sixth time four consecutive goals were scored by defensemen in a period
• It was the first four-goal period for defensemen since the St. Louis Blues did it on Dec. 29, 2000
Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse and Spencer Stastney combined for the fastest four goals by defensemen in NHL history and propelled the @EdmontonOilers to victory.#NHLStats: https://t.co/g7nlDMapuA pic.twitter.com/YdmpTDUgsM
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) January 27, 2026
Spencer Stastney started things with a goal at 4:36. Mattias Ekholm — more on him in a bit — tallied at 6:28. Darnell Nurse chipped in at 7:34, followed by Ekholm again at 8:25.
“He’s a great player all around,” Draisaitl said of Ekholm after the game. “He knows when to jump in the rush. He’s extremely smart. Obviously, he’s got a bomb of a shot, and he knows when to use it, and his placement is elite.”
Ekholm completed his first career hat trick by scoring into an empty net with 11 seconds remaining in regulation.
Surprisingly, it was only the second hat trick by an Oilers defenseman — the same franchise that retired blueliner Paul Coffey’s No. 7. Given all the scoring the Oilers have done in their Wayne Gretzky and McDavid eras, it’s hard to believe that a defenseman hadn’t notched three goals in a single game until Evan Bouchard’s three goals way back on (checks notes) … oh right, this past Saturday.
After waiting their entire NHL existence for a defenseman to score a hat trick, the Oilers now stand as the only franchise with defensemen who scored hat tricks in consecutive games.
“Some nights the bounces go your way. I will try to enjoy this one because it will probably be my last.”
After registering his first career hat trick in tonight’s #Oilers win, Mattias Ekholm chats with the media. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/Q6SSbYar5X
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 27, 2026
Let’s not forget Zach Hyman, whose goal in the first period flipped the switch for the five-goal night by the Oilers’ defensemen.
Don’t feel too bad for McDavid and Draisaitl, by the way. The former scored an empty-net goal (before Ekholm’s empty-netter), assisted by the latter, and the duo still combined for six points.