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The Edmonton Oilers won the Game 1 in overtime against Florida Panthers 4-3 in the ongoing Stanley Cup Finals. Leon Draisaitl scored the winning goal with just 31 seconds left to play. After scoring the winning goal, Draisaitl raised his arms in celebration, something which he couldn't do last year due to injuries. During the 2024 season, he played through hand and rib injuries as he struggled in the final. He only had three assists in seven games.
What did Leon Draisaitl say after winning Game 1?
This time around, Leon Draisaitl is fully healthy and has shown how important he is to the team when he's not injured. Currently, he has nine goals and 18 assists in the 17 playoff games that he has played. Draisaitl has 27 points and his teammate, Connor McDavid is leading the points tally with 28. It was Draisaitl's third overtime goal of this year's playoffs.
He is now tied the NHL record for most overtime goals in a single playoff year. Corey Perry and Matthew Tkachuk are the other two players who hold the record with three each to their names.
Leon Draisaitl's parents were also present during Game 1 as they were sitting behind the glass where their son scored the winner. After the game, Draisaitl talked about the match winning goal.
Just a number of really good plays, he said. Great play by Corey down low to get it to Davo, and then obviously, great pass by Davo.
Not just this, he even spoke about the comeback made by the Edmonton Oilers when they were trailing 3-1.
Yeah, we’ve done it all year, especially in the postseason. We stick with it and we're never going to quit, he said. Obviously, Arvi scores a really big one for us there.
When asked how it felt after starting the series on a winning note, he said,
Yeah, it’s nice. It’s a good start for us, but yeah, gotta regroup and get ready for game two.
Leon Draisaitl knowns that the series has just begun, but this game showed that he is back at his best and the Oilers are ready to take the fight to Florida Panthers.
Leon Draisaitl praised by his teammates ahead of Game 2 against Florida Panthers
After scoring the winning goal in overtime, Leon Draisaitl was praised by his teammates. In particular Mattias Ekholm praised the heroics of his teammate.
We don’t win the game tonight without him, calling him one of the team’s top two players.
Not just this, even Connor McDavid spoke highly about Leon Draisaitl and called him 'invaluable' because of his clutch goals, face-offs and defensive abilities.
There’s maybe nobody better.
The Game 2 between Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will be played on Friday and the match will start at 8:00 pm EDT.
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