Meet P.K. Subban’s sidekick and the Preds secret weapon vs. Crosby and Malkin
PITTSBURGH — Mattias Ekholm’s teammates wonder why it took so long for the 27-year-old Nashville Predators defenceman to get his due.
“You ask anyone in our room, he’s been an elite defenceman for years now,” said Ryan Ellis, Ekholm’s long-time defensive partner before being replaced this season by former Montreal Canadien P.K. Subban. “If people covered our games more they probably would have seen it a lot easier too.”
Make no mistake, Subban is the engine that makes the Predators quasi-top pair go. But Ekholm, the 37th defenceman picked in the 2009 draft, has quietly emerged as a capable sidekick and secret weapon of sorts in the Preds’ quest to shut down Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the Stanley Cup final.
“That’s going to be a key to this series is to limit their offensive chances and limit their offensive game,” Ekholm said before Game 1, a 5-3 loss for the Preds in which the Penguins were largely contained — going 37 minutes straight without a shot.