Draisaitls Aus awakens the imagination of the national team
Leon Draisaitl is knocked out of the Stanley Cup playoffs early with the Edmonton Oilers
Quelle: Getty Images via AFP/ETHAN MILLER
Bitter disappointment for Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers: Germany’s best ice hockey player is eliminated in the second round of the NHL playoffs. This could be a stroke of luck for the German national team.
Leon Draisaitl gave up and broke off his sprint. It was too hopeless to reach his opponent. William Karlsson of the Las Vegas Golden Knights slid the puck into the orphaned goal to make it 5-2, sealing the Edmonton Oilers play-off elimination. Draisaitl’s dream of winning the first Stanley Cup after beating Las Vegas 4-2 in the series was shattered. Germany’s best ice hockey player has to wait for the coronation.
As in the previous season, the Oilers failed in the second round of the playoff round. Edmonton found no remedy against the team from Las Vegas, which was peppered with veterans. Draisaitl concluded the playoffs with a strong personal record. In twelve games he scored 13 goals and provided five assists. It was still not enough for the big coup. Also because the 27-year-old and Connor McDavid – the captain of the Oilers – acted too weakly on the defensive.
Draisaitl ended the knockout round with a plus-minus balance of minus one. That means he conceded more goals than his own on the ice. McDavid is also at -1 in this important statistic. “That hurts. It’s hard to find straight words,” said Draisaitl. “If you go into a season to win it and then you don’t make it, it feels like a failure and like a lost year.” Everyone now has to “do everything” not to experience that feeling again must. He was critical of his own performance: “I wasn’t good today.”
“Leon Draisaitl would also be worth a game”
The Oilers’ unexpectedly early exit from the playoff fired the imagination of the German national ice hockey team, which is currently fighting for qualification for the quarterfinals at the World Championships in Finland. Harold Kreis’s team narrowly lost the first two games against favorites Sweden and Finland and has to play against the USA on Monday (3.20 p.m., Sport1). It is not completely impossible that Draisaitl will travel to Finland to support the national team. Should he decide to do so, he would not be with the team until Friday.
Germany lost the first two World Cup games by the narrowest of margins
Quelle: dpa/Antti Aimo-Koivisto
When asked about this scenario, sports director Christian Künast emphasized after the 3:4 win against Finland: “It would always be worth it. A Leon Draisaitl would also be worthwhile for a game.”