Connor McDavid, the consensus best player in the NHL, so often says there are several games each season where Edmonton Oilers teammate and buddy Leon Draisaitl deserves to be recognized as such.
Thursday night in Minnesota was the most obvious example of why McDavid feels that way.
Draisaitl was an absolute stud, dominating in every facet of the game while racking up 4 points in a convincing 7-1 road win over the Wild.
“Leon was really good,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters. “All our players really stood out — I can’t say that anyone had an off game — but Leon was at another level.”
Draisaitl came to play from his first shift.
He should have scored his league-leading 21st goal when it looked like he deposited a beautiful pass from McDavid at 6:59 of the first period on an Oilers power play. However, his shot nicked Zach Hyman’s stick while the winger was standing off to the side of the net. Draisaitl settled for an assist.
Later in the period, Draisaitl circled around the Minnesota zone with such force that he swatted away Wild forward Marcus Johansson as if he were a common house fly. Draisaitl then rounded the net and found linemate Kasperi Kapanen wide-open in front. Kapanen beat goalie Filip Gustavsson.
After setting up Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ power-play goal in the second, Draisaitl got that 21st goal by capitalizing off the rush late in the frame.
The goal wasn’t exactly a snipe. A pass from Evan Bouchard went off the stick of Wild winger Jakub Lauko before ricocheting off him. It was almost as bizarre and fluky as the goal Draisaitl scored from inside his own blue line against Marc-Andre Fleury when the Oilers hosted the Wild on Nov. 21.
However, Thursday’s goal was earned given his wonderful work and considering the sure one that wound up being credited to Hyman.
“It was karma,” Hyman said. “He got a good one back.”
Draisaitl showed why he’s a tour de force, why he’s easily one of the best players in the league. Like McDavid notes, he’s the best with considerable frequency.
Toying with the Wild is the latest evidence of Draisaitl’s excellence this season. With due respect to McDavid, it’s Draisaitl — not No. 97 — who’s been the Oilers’ best player.
