The Edmonton Oilers still can't find their way out of a rut in what has been an ugly road trip so far for the reigning Western Conference champions. But there's a consolation for Edmonton star Leon Draisaitl, who moved up a notch on one of the franchise's all-time lists in Thursday night's 2-1 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa.
“Leon Draisaitl collects his 570th career assist, passing Jari Kurri for sole possession of 4th on the Oilers all-time list,” Sportsnet Stats shared via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
Draisaitl assisted on Trent Frederic's goal in the first period that put the Oilers ahead early. It was Draisaitl's 13th assist in the 2025-26 NHL season, while it was the second time Frederic had found the back of the net in the campaign.
As it turned out, it was the only highlight of the night for the Oilers' offense, as Edmonton never lit the lamp the rest of the way. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, tied the score at 1-1 in the third period with a goal from Nick Paul before Jake Guentzel ended the contest with a game-winning score in overtime.
Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard picked up the loss as well, despite what was an otherwise solid performance in front of the net. He turned away 33 of 35 shots on goal by the Lightning, who improved to 11-7-2.
It is not about to get any easier for he 9-9-5 Oilers, as they will next share the ice with the Florida Panthers in a rematch of teams involved in the last two editions of the Stanley Cup Final.
