Panthers' Aaron Ekblad: Tallies pair of helpers

Ekblad dished out two assists in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Oilers on Wednesday.

Analysis:

The young defenseman now has a modest three-game point streak going, a span in which he's recorded four points and eight shots on goal. Even with the uptick, Ekblad has just 15 points in 47 games (and a ghastly minus-17 rating) after finishing with nearly 40 points in each of his first two seasons. Despite his disappointing campaign thus far, Ekblad possesses the pedigree and track record to crank things up in the second half, so perhaps his performance over the last three contests is a sign of things to come.