Leon Draisaitl has emotional response to overtime winner and legendary celebration
Photo credit: NHL on X
The Edmonton Oilers secured a much needed win last night off two goals from MVP candidate Leon Draisaitl, and after the game he was clearly hyped up about his performance.
Draisaitl has been the clear MVP candidate of the Edmonton Oilers this season, despite falling out of the top spot in the most recent rankings.
Leon Draisaitl has emotional response to legendary overtime winner
To win last night's game over the New York Islanders, Leon Draisaitl corralled a perfect stretch pass from goalie Calvin Pickard, and quickly beat Ilya Sorokin. Right after scoring, Draisaitl turned around to give an emphatic point toward Pickard.
The Oilers goaltenders have taken some hard criticism as of late - especially here at OilersDaily. To see a moment like this, and Draisaitl's passionate recognition of Pickard, may be one of the reasons the Oilers decided not to make any major deadline move for a goalie.
After the game, Leon Draisaitl was deeply reflecting on his time as an Oiler, and the value contributions of the backup goalie, especially in the locker room. The players seem to be extremely close with Pickard and Skinner.
Leon Draisaitl gets emotional after carrying Oilers to much needed win
Coming off the ice to speak to Gene Principe, Draisaitl dropped two quotes that show just how thankful he is to have Calvin Pickard in the group.
I think you can see we truly love playing for him.
I love being an Oiler, it means the world to me. I have teammates that understand me and without them none of this is possible.
- Leon Draisaitl
I love being an Oiler, it means the world to me. I have teammates that understand me and without them none of this is possible.
- Leon Draisaitl
Draisaitl seemed to be fired up coming off his two goal performance, but also reflecting on a year where he's been the best Oiler all season.
He can step up and be a dominant player just like McDavid, and the teammates in the room believe in him to that extent - and that's truly special for Draisaitl.
Hopefully this game is a catalyst to get the Edmonton Oilers really cooking again. With a fired up emotional win like this, hopefully they can carry some momentum into the next game and begin pulling themselves back up the standings.
| POLL | ||
MARS 15 | 575 ANSWERS Leon Draisaitl has emotional response to overtime winner and legendary celebration Do you think Draisaitl didn't want the Oilers to trade either goalie? | ||
| Yes | 312 | 54.3 % |
| No | 263 | 45.7 % |
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