EDMONTON, Alberta – Connor McDavid has dominated the Stanley Cup Final with 11 points in five games, two behind Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 13 with Edmonton in 1988.
León Draisaitl, the Oilers’ other superstar, has not dominated in the finals. He barely uttered a groan offensively.
His two assists in Edmonton’s 8-1 Game 4 victory are his only points of the series against the Florida Panthers. Draisaitl has gone seven games without scoring after scoring 10 in his first 16 playoff games of 2024. In total, he has 30 points in 23 postseason games this year.
“Obviously I’m not happy with the way I’m playing, I haven’t found my game, I haven’t found my leg. I’m just not at the standard I hold myself to, obviously,” Draisaitl said Friday, hours before Game 6.
Draisaitl demurred when asked if the Panthers’ defense or the revolving door of his linemates contributed to his slump.
“It’s me,” he said. “I hold myself to extremely high standards, and if I don’t reach that, I’m obviously not happy with it.”
Leon Draisaitl ranked second on the Edmonton Oilers in points (106) during this year’s regular season. He has struggled to recreate that Stanley Cup Final presence with zero goals on 13 shots. Andy Devlin/NHLI via /Keynote USA/Getty Images
His coach and teammates feel that Draisaitl’s standards may be too high and that he is contributing beyond the scoresheet.
“I think he’s got to realize that even if he’s not feeling great, he’s still better than 99% of the guys,” said forward Dylan Holloway, who has been Draisaitl’s winger for much of the playoffs. “He has been fantastic. I think he has to continue playing the way he is.”
Coach Kris Knoblauch called Draisaitl’s work “tremendous” and said his star might be too hard on himself.
“I’ve seen Leon play better than him, but I think he’s contributing a lot and I think he’s harder on himself than he should be,” Knoblauch said Friday. “I thought yesterday was a good day of practice. He looked like himself and I hope he plays a good game tonight.”
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This goalless streak matches Draisaitl’s longest of the season. He did not score a goal from October 19 to November 4, 2023. Coach Jay Woodcroft was fired three games later in favor of Knoblauch.
“I’ve always been able to bounce back from times where maybe I haven’t been at my best,” Draisaitl said.
The Panthers lead the series 3-2, but the Oilers bounced back with two straight wins, becoming just the fourth team in Stanley Cup Final history to force a Game 6 after falling behind 3-0. Only one team in NHL history, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, came back to win the Cup after losing 3-0.
Draisaitl admits that he does not miss the opportunity to make history.
“I think we’re all human. Of course you think so. But we’re not in a position to make that a priority yet, are we?” he said. “We have to win a home game tonight and get this back to Florida and then it will be a one-game series. Their focus is on this game tonight and not on what’s going to happen four or five days from now.”
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