ice Hockey
Draisaitl advances to NHL playoffs with Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers around superstar Leon Draisaitl (centre) prevailed against the Kings. photo
© Keith Birmingham/The Orange County Register via AP/dpa
Leon Draisaitl still has the chance to win the Stanley Cup. With the Edmonton Oilers, he survives the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings. A permanent guest in the final, on the other hand, is no longer there.
Hockey national player Leon Draisaitl has reached the next round with the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL playoffs. In the best-of-seven series, the Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-4, earning a much-needed fourth win.
Draisaitl scored to make it 3-1 in the meantime and has already scored seven goals in the playoffs this season. He was also involved in at least one goal as a scorer or assist in all six games. The Oilers take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Semifinals.
“They have a lot of experience in the team and I’m glad we made it,” said Draisaitl in the hall in downtown Los Angeles. But the Oilers are also a “very, very good team. We’re just as difficult to play, that’s why we won.”
Defending champion threatens
The Oilers beat the Kings in the first round of the playoffs last season and then made it to the Western Conference Finals. However, Draisaitl’s team was clearly defeated by eventual champions, the Colorado Avalanche. The defending champion has to play seven games against the Seattle Kraken around national goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer and threatens to surprisingly miss the semi-finals in the Western Conference.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, meanwhile, advanced to the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. A 2-1 win after overtime against Tampa, 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup champions, sealed the Canadian team’s progress.