Clutch gene, engage: How Leon Draisaitl reached an even higher level in the Cup Final

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Leon Draisaitl is astatine his champion erstwhile describing the Edmonton Oilers' worst moments.

They were "waxed" and "spanked" successful Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final by the Florida Panthers, erstwhile they mislaid 6-1. They "put america connected our heels aboriginal and we were lollygagging around" successful the archetypal play of Game 4, erstwhile Florida built a 3-0 pb and chased starting goaltender Stuart Skinner for the 2nd consecutive game.

"It's surely not the clip to lollygag around, right?" Draisaitl asked rhetorically.

Indeed, it is not, which mightiness beryllium wherefore Draisaitl didn't fto the Oilers linger successful overtime excessively agelong earlier ending Game 4 with his 11th extremity of the playoffs -- shoving the puck towards the Panthers' net, having it deflect disconnected defenseman Niko Mikkola and down Sergei Bobrovsky astatine 11:18. Edmonton won 5-4, tied the bid astatine 2-2 and wholly flushed immoderate lingering embarrassment implicit that Game 3 "spanking."

In the process, Draisaitl continued to rewrite the NHL grounds books and loudly stated his lawsuit arsenic the Stanley Cup playoffs' astir invaluable player.

As of Friday morning, Draisaitl had the second-best likelihood astatine winning the Conn Smythe Trophy, according to ESPN BET (+225), trailing Florida halfway Sam Bennett (+140) and up of teammate Connor McDavid (+260), who won the grant successful a losing effort past season.

Oilers defenseman Jake Walman believes that it's not conscionable Draisaitl's scoring but his all-around crippled that's what makes him specified a driving unit for the Oilers.

"He's a beast who tin bash it each for us," Walman said. "There person been stretches successful this postseason erstwhile he's played large defensively too."

Edmonton has a plus-4 successful extremity differential with Draisaitl connected the crystal successful the postseason.

"It's incredible. He's a equine retired determination for us," said guardant Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has played with Draisaitl since the 29-year-old halfway was drafted 3rd wide successful 2014 by Edmonton. "We tin ever thin connected him. He ever finds a mode to get those large [goals]."

The numbers marque that connection undeniable. Draisaitl's Game 4 victor was his 4th overtime extremity of this postseason, mounting a caller azygous playoff twelvemonth grounds successful the NHL. Incredibly, Draisaitl besides holds the single-season grounds for overtime goals successful the regular play (six), which helium besides acceptable this season.

Draisaitl is conscionable the 5th subordinate successful NHL past to people aggregate overtime goals successful a Stanley Cup Final series. Maurice Richard holds the grounds with 3 OT goals.

"He's 1 of the champion players successful the satellite for a reason. He not lone says what he's going to do, helium backs it up with his play and his actions. That's what makes him an astonishing leader," Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said. "We get into overtime. In those tense moments, helium has an quality to unbend and conscionable marque plays. He gets rewarded for moving hard."

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Leon Draisaitl scores OT victor for Oilers successful Game 4

Leon Draisaitl notches the game-winning extremity with this one-handed effort successful a pulsating Game 4 that levels the bid for Oilers.

Draisaitl has been possibly the NHL's astir ascendant subordinate erstwhile factoring successful the regular play with the postseason. The Oilers prima finished a adjacent 2nd to Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck successful the voting for the Hart Trophy arsenic league MVP, aft a play successful which Draisaitl led the NHL successful goals (52) and was 3rd wide successful points (106). Draisaitl was the victor of the Hart successful 2019-20, and this was the 4th play of 50 oregon much goals successful Draisaitl's 11-year NHL career.

Draisaitl is present 2nd to Sam Bennett (14 goals) successful postseason goals, aft scoring his 11th successful overtime of Game 4. He's present tied with teammate Connor McDavid with 32 points successful 20 playoff games to pb each scorers.

He has present reached 30 points successful 2 consecutive postseasons, becoming lone the 5th subordinate successful NHL past to execute that feat, on with McDavid (2024-2025), Nikita Kucherov (2020-2021), Mario Lemieux (1991-1992) and Wayne Gretzky (1987-1988 and 1983-1985). Draisaitl present has 3 30-point playoff seasons successful his career, tying him with McDavid and Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier for 2nd all-time down all-time person Gretzky, who had six 30-point playoff campaigns.

It's not conscionable the magnitude of scoring for Draisaitl -- it's when he's scoring. Consider that helium has 16 points successful the last 2 rounds of the playoffs, including a series-best 7 points successful the Stanley Cup Final. Draisaitl has points successful 17 of 20 playoff games, and 9 of his past 10 overall.

"He's arsenic clutch arsenic it gets," said goalie Calvin Pickard, besides a Game 4 leader for Edmonton with 22 saves and a triumph successful alleviation of Skinner. "He's been playing great. Always scoring large goals astatine large times."

In the lawsuit of his Game 4 performance, Draisaitl not lone came done successful the clutch but besides did successful a gathering that hasn't been affable to him. He hadn't tallied a constituent successful immoderate of his erstwhile 5 Stanley Cup Final games connected the roadworthy against the Panthers. He didn't adjacent make a changeable connected extremity successful Game 7 past play oregon successful Game 3 this postseason. He besides failed to make a changeable attempt successful Game 3, marking conscionable the 2nd clip successful 93 vocation playoff games that this occurred for Draisaitl.

On Thursday, helium made up for mislaid clip with 3 points, assisting connected goals by Nugent-Hopkins and Vasily Podkolzin earlier scoring 1 of his ain successful overtime.

Florida manager Paul Maurice believes his squad has defended Draisaitl and McDavid "reasonably well" successful the bid astatine 5-on-5.

"I deliberation they're inactive going to make immoderate action," the manager said. "I deliberation the even-strength chances are beauteous choky done 4 games."

One of the differences for Edmonton this postseason, aft losing to Florida successful Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final successful 2024, is their assurance and comfortableness successful playing successful choky games and grinding series. If they get down, they don't get flustered. If things aren't clicking offensively, they're patient.

"You conscionable get comfy successful those situations knowing that you play 1 bully game, you find a mode to get a triumph connected the road, and you spell location and the bid is tied. That's truly each it is," Draisaitl said earlier Game 4. "Sometimes those games wherever you conscionable get waxed a small bit, they're astir easier to get retired of, right? We didn't play our best. They played their best. We weren't adjacent adjacent to bringing our best. You parkland that, you determination on."

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Draisaitl comes up large with OT victor successful Game 1

Leon Draisaitl nets the winning extremity precocious successful overtime to assistance the Oilers instrumentality Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

For each the message-sending that the Panthers did successful Game 3 -- connected the scoreboard, connected the crystal and with their mouths -- the Oilers sent an important 1 astir their resiliency with their Game 4 rally.

"It tells you that our radical ne'er quits. We judge that nary substance however atrocious it is, if we get implicit that hump of adversity, we're going to support pushing, we're going to support coming, and yet it'll break," Draisaitl said. "You don't privation to beryllium successful these situations excessively galore times. But erstwhile they happen, I deliberation we're large astatine it."

It helps to person idiosyncratic similar Leon Draisaitl scoring erstwhile it matters most.

"I don't cognize what could convey what helium means to our team," Edmonton manager Kris Knoblauch said. "The leadership, the play. He has conscionable elevated his crippled successful the toughest moments."