Leon Draisaitl opened the scoring for the Edmonton Oilers, giving his team the crucial early lead. While the Panthers eliminated that lead and scored three of their own, that goal turned out to be crucial because Edmonton, despite outscoring the Cats 14-2 in the third period, could only manage to tie the game 3-3 before winning it in overtime. “We don’t win the game tonight without him, so that tells you that story,” goalscorer Mattias Ekholm said about his teammate.

“He’s one of the top two guys, obviously, on our team, and maybe in the League,” Ekholm added. And why wouldn’t he praise the forward? After all, Draisaitl was the one who scored the winning goal after McDavid received a spectacular backhand pass from Corey Perry and gave it to the German forward for the finish. However, Ekholm wasn’t the only one praising the 29-year-old. Coach Kris Knoblauch explained exactly why Draisaitl became Edmonton’s secret weapon.

Guess what? It all has to do with how good the NHL forward is feeling on the ice. When asked about Leon Draisaitl’s feeling, healthy this year made a difference in Game 1, the Edmonton Oilers agreed. “Last year he was certainly banged up and not 100%, and I think a lot of our team was also… Just because of the way the series went,” confessed coach Knoblauch.

The hand and rib injuries Draisaitl had sustained had seriously hampered the forward and, like Knoblauch said, took a serious toll on the whole team last year. A seven-game series against Vancouver and a six-game series against Dallas became taxing, and then came the final, which also went the distance. The German could only register three assists against the Panthers in that entire series—a far cry from the kind of numbers he has come to be known for.

It’s a different story this year. “This year, we had two long breaks after the series (vs. Dallas), you know? We finished after five; it was a lot of time to recover, and just helped everybody,” said Oilers coach. In fact, they reached the finals in 16 games, which is two games fewer than last year. That being said, things didn’t look as promising for the Oilers before the playoffs.

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The Oilers weren’t immune to injury scares this year

While the Oilers looked dominant after their initial struggles against the LA Kings, they didn’t look so hot entering the NHL playoffs. Edmonton lost the top position in their division to the Vegas Golden Knights after multiple defeats near the end of the season. Stuart Skinner’s lackluster performance, coupled with some serious injuries, didn’t paint the best picture for Knoblauch’s team.

Leon Draisaitl actually suffered two injuries before the playoffs. The Edmonton Oilers forward first suffered the undisclosed injury in March 2025. While he returned to action after four games, it didn’t take long for the forward to get hurt again. This time, Draisaitl sustained a lower-body injury against the San Jose Sharks. “We think it’s going to be back well before that,” Knoblauch said about the Oilers stars being out for the playoffs.

Thankfully, Knoblauch was right as the NHL star re-joined the roster for their Round 1 playoff series against L.A. However, Draisaitl wasn’t their only concern, as Connor McDavid and Stuart Skinner also joined the 29-year-old on the injury list. Fortunately, McDavid returned to the lineup just ahead of the playoffs on April 9, 2025, against the St. Louis Blues after missing eight games thanks to a lower-body injury.

Meanwhile, Stuart Skinner suffered a concussion scare in March after an ugly collision with the Stars’ Mikko Rantanen. Yet the biggest scare came when Trent Frederic was also counted out. “With Frederic out, Oilers might only have 17 skaters. They don’t have cap space to recall anyone,” said Daily Faceoff‘s Jason Gregor in early April. Let’s not forget Mattias Ekholm and Evander Kane were out too. Thankfully, everyone recovered in time, and the results have been spectacular so far.