Leon Draisaitl: One of the greatest playoff performers in the NHL

As the Edmonton Oilers playoff push continues, Leon Draisaitl begins to prep for the biggest games of the year. Going into the final stretch of the season, Draisaitl and the Oilers look to heat up before the playoffs. By this time, playoff Draisaitl will be activated.

Draisaitl has battled through injuries

Throughout his time in the NHL, Draisaitl has been an extremely clutch player. His recent performance against the rival Calgary Flames brought Oiler fans to their feet when he scored his 50th and 51st goals of the season. This performance was impressive as it is, even though Draisaitl was not playing at 100%. A common theme for Draisaitl is playing through injuries. It seems as though his injuries bring out the best of him when the game is on the line.

Draisaitl kept things going against the Vegas Golden Knights in a potential playoff matchup. He scored his 52nd goal of the season helping the Oilers get a massive win. The offence has been tougher to find without Connor McDavid, but since Leon Draisaitl returned it has not been an issue. Draisaitl continued to perform on Thursday night against the San Jose Sharks, setting up Viktor Arvidsson for a snipe.

Things did not end as well, as Leon Draisaitl left the game in the second period and did not return. He was ruled out of the recent game against the Los Angeles Kings. Should the Oilers consider resting him more before the playoffs?

Draisaitl’s best playoff performances

1) Second round in 2022

The Oilers took on the Flames in the second round of the 2022 playoffs. Going into the highly anticipated series, the Flames were the favourites to win as they won the Pacific Division crown. The Flames won Game 1 by a score of 9–6. Matthew Tkachuk led the way scoring a hat-trick, putting the game out of reach for the Oilers.

The remainder of the series took a different route as the Oilers won four straight, eliminating the Flames in five games. Leon Draisaitl was the MVP of this series as he put up 17 points in just five games. This is easily the best playoff series of his career.

2) Second round in 2024

Another solid playoff performance from Leon Draisaitl was in the second round of the 2024 playoffs. This was against another rival team, the Vancouver Canucks. Draisaitl was a driver of offence for the Oilers. He had 14 points in the seven-game series helping the Oilers advance to the third round.

His point streak was up to 12 games by the end of the series as he recorded points in all five games against the Los Angeles Kings in round one. This impressive hot streak came to an end in game two of the third round when the Dallas Stars beat the Edmonton Oilers 3–1.

3) Second round in 2017

The third-best playoff performance for Leon Draisaitl was way back in 2017. His first-round series in 2024 against the Los Angeles Kings could have been on here, but his performance against the Anaheim Ducks in his first playoff run cannot be ignored. Draisaitl was only 21 years old in this series, which makes his numbers so outstanding.

In Game 6 of this series, Draisaitl had his career-best playoff game. The forward put up a five-point night helping force a Game 7 in Anaheim. Unfortunately, the Ducks won Game 7 eliminating the Oilers. Draisaitl ended the series with 13 points in seven games.

Has Leon Draisaitl become one of the greatest playoff performers in NHL history?

Rematches await in 2025

There is a chance that the Edmonton Oilers face some familiar teams in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. These teams include the Los Angeles Kings and the Vegas Golden Knights. The Oilers and Kings have met in the first round for the past three years.

Most likely, the Edmonton Oilers will face the Los Angeles Kings in the first round yet again. This would be great for Draisaitl who has dominated the Los Angeles Kings in the playoffs. He is currently riding a 14-game point streak against the Kings in playoff hockey. Out of all the playoff meetings between them, the Kings have only held him off the scoresheet once. This stat helps prove that Draisaitl is one of the greatest playoff performers in the NHL.

A rematch against the Golden Knights would give the Edmonton Oilers a massive opportunity to get revenge. Two years ago, Vegas eliminated the Edmonton in a six-game series. Leon Draisaitl had a legendary Game 1, where he scored four goals in a 6–4 loss. He continued his exceptional play in Game 2, scoring two goals in a 5–1 victory.

Afterwards, things did not go well for Draisaitl and the Oilers. They lost three out of the next four games, with Draisaitl only putting up one assist. The Vegas Golden Knights went on to win their first-ever Stanley Cup defeating the Florida Panthers. Draisaitl and the Oilers hope to get some long-awaited revenge against the Golden Knights.

Do you think Leon Draisaitl is one of the NHL’s greatest playoff performers?