SUNRISE, Fla. — Leon Draisaitl is at his finest when describing the Edmonton Oilers’ worst moments.
They have been “waxed” and “spanked” in Sport 3 of the Stanley Cup Closing by the Florida Panthers, once they misplaced 6-1. They “put us on our heels early and we have been lollygagging round” within the first interval of Sport 4, when Florida constructed a 3-0 lead and chased beginning goaltender Stuart Skinner for the second straight recreation.
“It is definitely not the time to lollygag round, proper?” Draisaitl requested rhetorically.
Certainly, it isn’t, which may be why Draisaitl did not let the Oilers linger in time beyond regulation too lengthy earlier than ending Sport 4 along with his eleventh objective of the playoffs — shoving the puck in direction of the Panthers’ internet, having it deflect off defenseman Niko Mikkola and behind Sergei Bobrovsky at 11:18. Edmonton gained 5-4, tied the collection at 2-2 and utterly flushed any lingering embarrassment over that Sport 3 “spanking.”
Within the course of, Draisaitl continued to rewrite the NHL document books and loudly acknowledged his case because the Stanley Cup playoffs’ most useful participant.
As of Friday morning, Draisaitl had the second-best odds at successful the Conn Smythe Trophy, based on ESPN BET (+225), trailing Florida middle Sam Bennett (+140) and forward of teammate Connor McDavid (+260), who gained the award in a shedding effort final season.
Oilers defenseman Jake Walman believes that it is not simply Draisaitl’s scoring however his all-around recreation that is what makes him such a driving power for the Oilers.
“He is a beast who can do all of it for us,” Walman stated. “There have been stretches on this postseason when he is performed nice defensively too.”
Edmonton has a plus-4 in objective differential with Draisaitl on the ice within the postseason.
“It is unimaginable. He is a horse on the market for us,” stated ahead Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has performed with Draisaitl for the reason that 29-year-old middle was drafted third general in 2014 by Edmonton. “We are able to at all times lean on him. He at all times finds a solution to get these huge [goals].”
The numbers make that assertion simple. Draisaitl’s Sport 4 winner was his fourth time beyond regulation objective of this postseason, setting a brand new single playoff yr document within the NHL. Extremely, Draisaitl additionally holds the single-season document for time beyond regulation targets within the common season (six), which he additionally set this season.
Draisaitl is simply the fifth participant in NHL historical past to attain a number of time beyond regulation targets in a Stanley Cup Closing collection. Maurice Richard holds the document with three OT targets.
“He is top-of-the-line gamers on the earth for a cause. He not solely says what he’ll do, he backs it up along with his play and his actions. That is what makes him a tremendous chief,” Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse stated. “We get into time beyond regulation. In these tense moments, he has a capability to calm down and simply make performs. He will get rewarded for working onerous.”
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Leon Draisaitl scores OT winner for Oilers in Sport 4
Leon Draisaitl notches the game-winning objective with this one-handed effort in a pulsating Sport 4 that ranges the collection for Oilers.
Draisaitl has been maybe the NHL’s most dominant participant when factoring within the common season with the postseason. The Oilers star completed a detailed second to Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck within the voting for the Hart Trophy as league MVP, after a season during which Draisaitl led the NHL in targets (52) and was third general in factors (106). Draisaitl was the winner of the Hart in 2019-20, and this was the fourth season of fifty or extra targets in Draisaitl’s 11-year NHL profession.
Draisaitl is now second to Sam Bennett (14 targets) in postseason targets, after scoring his eleventh in time beyond regulation of Sport 4. He is now tied with teammate Connor McDavid with 32 factors in 20 playoff video games to guide all scorers.
He has now reached 30 factors in two straight postseasons, changing into solely the fifth participant in NHL historical past to perform that feat, together with McDavid (2024-2025), Nikita Kucherov (2020-2021), Mario Lemieux (1991-1992) and Wayne Gretzky (1987-1988 and 1983-1985). Draisaitl now has three 30-point playoff seasons in his profession, tying him with McDavid and Hockey Corridor of Famer Mark Messier for second all-time behind all-time chief Gretzky, who had six 30-point playoff campaigns.
It is not simply the quantity of scoring for Draisaitl — it is when he is scoring. Take into account that he has 16 factors within the closing two rounds of the playoffs, together with a series-best seven factors within the Stanley Cup Closing. Draisaitl has factors in 17 of 20 playoff video games, and 9 of his previous 10 general.
“He is as clutch because it will get,” stated goalie Calvin Pickard, additionally a Sport 4 hero for Edmonton with 22 saves and a win in reduction of Skinner. “He is been enjoying nice. All the time scoring huge targets at huge occasions.”
Within the case of his Sport 4 efficiency, Draisaitl not solely got here by means of within the clutch but in addition did in a constructing that hasn’t been pleasant to him. He hadn’t tallied a degree in any of his earlier 5 Stanley Cup Closing video games on the highway in opposition to the Panthers. He did not even generate a shot on objective in Sport 7 final season or in Sport 3 this postseason. He additionally did not generate a shot try in Sport 3, marking simply the second time in 93 profession playoff video games that this occurred for Draisaitl.
On Thursday, he made up for misplaced time with three factors, helping on targets by Nugent-Hopkins and Vasily Podkolzin earlier than scoring one in all his personal in time beyond regulation.
Florida coach Paul Maurice believes his group has defended Draisaitl and McDavid “fairly properly” within the collection at 5-on-5.
“I feel they’re nonetheless going to generate some motion,” the coach stated. “I feel the even-strength chances are high fairly tight by means of 4 video games.”
One of many variations for Edmonton this postseason, after shedding to Florida in Sport 7 of the Stanley Cup Closing in 2024, is their confidence and luxury in enjoying in tight video games and grinding collection. In the event that they get down, they do not get flustered. If issues aren’t clicking offensively, they’re affected person.
“You simply get snug in these conditions understanding that you just play one good recreation, you discover a solution to get a win on the highway, and also you go residence and the collection is tied. That is actually all it’s,” Draisaitl stated earlier than Sport 4. “Generally these video games the place you simply get waxed a little bit bit, they’re virtually simpler to get out of, proper? We did not play our greatest. They performed their finest. We weren’t even near bringing our greatest. You park that, you progress on.”
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Draisaitl comes up huge with OT winner in Sport 1
Leon Draisaitl nets the successful objective late in time beyond regulation to assist the Oilers take Sport 1 of the Stanley Cup Closing.
For all of the message-sending that the Panthers did in Sport 3 — on the scoreboard, on the ice and with their mouths — the Oilers despatched an necessary one about their resiliency with their Sport 4 rally.
“It tells you that our group by no means quits. We consider that regardless of how dangerous it’s, if we recover from that hump of adversity, we’ll maintain pushing, we’ll maintain coming, and ultimately it will break,” Draisaitl stated. “You do not wish to be in these conditions too many occasions. However once they occur, I feel we’re nice at it.”
It helps to have somebody like Leon Draisaitl scoring when it issues most.
“I do not know what might convey what he means to our group,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch stated. “The management, the play. He has simply elevated his recreation within the hardest moments.”
