Edmonton Oilers appear to be hiding a problem with Leon Draisaitl
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Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl missed the last few weeks of the season with injury, and now a few games into the playoffs, still appears like he could be dealing with some pain.
Draisaitl last suffered an injury off a hit from San Jose Sharks forward Barclay Goodrow, the second injury he sustained in the last two months of the season. He never returned to play in the regular season after the injury.
Edmonton Oilers may be hiding a problem with Leon Draisaitl
After going down in the series 0-2 in their series against the LA Kings, Oilers fans expected some lineup changes tonight. Coach Knoblauch did make some major changes, but left McDavid and Draisaitl together.
Some Oilers fans are now speculating that it may be a strategy to get the most out of Draisaitl while he plays through an injury.
Leon Draisaitl has played and dominated through an injury before in the playoffs. Even if he is hurt now, he's still carrying the Oilers to remain competitive in these games.
However, playing through an injury still does limit the amount that Draisaitl can realistically give. Coach Knoblauch is still running out Draisaitl for heavy minutes, but between an injury and his usage, some analysts are seeing the limits of Draisaitl.
Draisaitl is starting to look tired. I thought the second half of the game last night, on some of his back checks you saw his head drop down.
They're playing an egregious amount of minutes here in the playoffs. You have to, I get it, but they're getting tired. And when you're tired, you make different decisions, and you execute a little bit differently.
They're playing an egregious amount of minutes here in the playoffs. You have to, I get it, but they're getting tired. And when you're tired, you make different decisions, and you execute a little bit differently.
Through whatever adversity is thrown at them, McDavid and Draisaitl have consistently elevated their game.
The two superstars will still dominate, but they'll need more help from the supporting cast to crawl out of this series deficit - especially if there's a problem with Draisaitl.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 25 | 618 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers appear to be hiding a problem with Leon Draisaitl Do you think the Oilers can come back to win this playoff series? | ||
| Yes | 521 | 84.3 % |
| No | 97 | 15.7 % |
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