Just like the world of hockey did Wednesday for a Vintage Draisaitl performance which recalled why it is considered one of the best on the planet.
A year ago, he looked anything other than that. His pains and pains only led to three assists in seven games against the panthers, a series in which he never really looked.
He does it now, and it manifests in statistics. Not only have his performance of two goals helped to give the Oilers an advance of 1-0 in the Best Of-7 series, but he also increased it up to 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) in 17 eliminatory games this spring, second by scoring the NHL behind his teammate Connor McDavid, who has 28 (six goals, 22 assists).
“We are not winning the match tonight without him, so that tells you this story,” said the defender of the Oilers Mattias Ekholm said. “He is one of the two best guys, of course, in our team, and perhaps in the league. (Connor and Leon) were phenomenal there. You saw the pieces they made on a few goals tonight.
“He looks very confident, very, very comfortable. He does his thing.”
At a very high level, according to McDavid.
It was normal that it was the captain of the Oilers who installed Draisaitl for the decisive goal after the front of the Panthers Tomas Nosek took a minor penalty for shooting the glass on the glass at 6:17 p.m. overtime. Having been teammates for 10 years, their dream of finally winning the Stanley Ensemble Cup is again in sight.
As such, McDavid could not say enough about his teammate later.
“It is invaluable,” said McDavid about Draisaitl. “The clutch objectives, the confrontations, you call it, he does not do it either. He does not have enough respect or credit for his defensive capacities.
“There may be no one better.”
There was certainly not last night.
