Inside Leon Draisaitl’s Stanley Cup Last MVP flip

SUNRISE, Fla. — Leon Draisaitl is at his greatest when describing the Edmonton Oilers’ worst moments.

They had been “waxed” and “spanked” in Sport 3 of the Stanley Cup Last by the Florida Panthers, after they misplaced 6-1. They “put us on our heels early and we had 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’s not, which may be why Draisaitl did not let the Oilers linger in time beyond regulation too lengthy earlier than ending Sport 4 together with his eleventh purpose of the playoffs — shoving the puck in direction of the Panthers’ web, having it deflect off defenseman Niko Mikkola and behind Sergei Bobrovsky at 11:18. Edmonton received 5-4, tied the sequence at 2-2 and fully flushed any lingering embarrassment over that Sport 3 “spanking.”

Within the course of, Draisaitl continued to rewrite the NHL file 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 profitable the Conn Smythe Trophy, based on ESPN BET (+225), trailing Florida middle Sam Bennett (+140) and forward of teammate Connor McDavid (+260), who received 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 mentioned. “There have been stretches on this postseason when he is performed nice defensively too.”

Edmonton has a plus-4 in purpose differential with Draisaitl on the ice within the postseason.

“It is unimaginable. He is a horse on the market for us,” mentioned ahead Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has performed with Draisaitl because the 29-year-old middle was drafted third total in 2014 by Edmonton. “We are able to all the time lean on him. He all the time finds a approach to get these large [goals].”

The numbers make that assertion simple. Draisaitl’s Sport 4 winner was his fourth time beyond regulation purpose of this postseason, setting a brand new single playoff 12 months file within the NHL. Extremely, Draisaitl additionally holds the single-season file 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 Last sequence. Maurice Richard holds the file with three OT targets.

“He is top-of-the-line gamers on the earth for a motive. He not solely says what he’ll do, he backs it up together with his play and his actions. That is what makes him an incredible chief,” Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse mentioned. “We get into time beyond regulation. In these tense moments, he has a capability to loosen up and simply make performs. He will get rewarded for working arduous.”

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 total 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. Think about that he has 16 factors within the last two rounds of the playoffs, together with a series-best seven factors within the Stanley Cup Last. Draisaitl has factors in 17 of 20 playoff video games, and 9 of his previous 10 total.

“He is as clutch because it will get,” mentioned 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 large targets at large instances.”

Within the case of his Sport 4 efficiency, Draisaitl not solely got here via within the clutch but additionally did in a constructing that hasn’t been pleasant to him. He hadn’t tallied some extent in any of his earlier 5 Stanley Cup Last video games on the highway towards the Panthers. He did not even generate a shot on purpose 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, aiding on targets by Nugent-Hopkins and Vasily Podkolzin earlier than scoring certainly one of his personal in time beyond regulation.

Florida coach Paul Maurice believes his crew has defended Draisaitl and McDavid “moderately nicely” within the sequence at 5-on-5.

“I believe they’re nonetheless going to generate some motion,” the coach mentioned. “I believe the even-strength likelihood is fairly tight via 4 video games.”

One of many variations for Edmonton this postseason, after shedding to Florida in Sport 7 of the Stanley Cup Last in 2024, is their confidence and luxury in enjoying in tight video games and grinding sequence. 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 comfy in these conditions understanding that you just play one good recreation, you discover a approach to get a win on the highway, and also you go dwelling and the sequence is tied. That is actually all it’s,” Draisaitl mentioned earlier than Sport 4. “Generally these video games the place you simply get waxed a bit of bit, they’re nearly simpler to get out of, proper? We did not play our greatest. They performed their greatest. We weren’t even near bringing our greatest. You park that, you progress on.”

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 unhealthy it’s, if we recover from that hump of adversity, we’ll hold pushing, we’ll hold coming, and ultimately it’s going to break,” Draisaitl mentioned. “You do not need to be in these conditions too many instances. However after they occur, I believe we’re nice at it.”

It helps to have somebody like Leon Draisaitl scoring when it issues most.

“I do not know what may convey what he means to our crew,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch mentioned. “The management, the play. He has simply elevated his recreation within the hardest moments.”