When the subject is the Edmonton Oilers, the discussion nearly always centers on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The way things are going in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, perhaps the order should be changed to Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
Oilers Leon Draisaitl
First NHL player to score 13 goals in any 8-game span of a single postseason since Jari Kurri in 1985
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 6, 2023
While McDavid is still performing at a very high level, Draisaitl has simply been scintillating. After scoring 4 goals in the first game of the playoff series with the Vegas Golden Knights, Draisaitl scored 2 more goals in the first period of Game 2 of the Western Conference playoff series.
That gives Draisaitl 13 goals in 8 playoff games, and he is the first player to score at that rate since former Oiler Jari Kurri accomplished that feat in 1985. The Oilers won the Stanley Cup that season, beating the Philadelphia Flyers in 5 games in that series. Kurri scored 19 goals in that postseason, and he spent most of his time playing on a line with Wayne Gretzky.
Draisaitl scored all of Edmonton's goals in their 6-4 Game 1 loss to the Golden Knights. The Oilers got the early jump in Game 2 and raced out to a 5-0 lead after 2 periods.
The Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings in 6 games during the opening round of the playoffs. Draisaitl scored 7 goals in that series as the Oilers rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win the last 3 games of that playoff matchup.
The Oilers have not won the Stanley Cup since the 1990 season. That was their 5th Stanley Cup in a 7-year span. Kurri was a key performer for the Oilers in all 5 of those Stanley Cup triumphs.
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