Draisaitl joins Gretzky in NHL record books after dominant Oilers win
Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl cemented himself as being one of the most prolific playoff scorers in NHL history last night.
The German-born sniper picked up two assists in last night’s 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks to force a penultimate Game 7 on the West Coast tomorrow night. In doing so, Draisaitl became the third-fastest player in NHL history to reach 100 playoff points, doing so in just 60 games.
Only Wayne Gretzky (46 games) and Mario Lemieux (50 games) have hit that mark faster.
Leon Draisaitl recorded his 100th career point in the #StanleyCup Playoffs and placed his name alongside a couple of NHL legends in the process.#NHLStats: https://t.co/4glTlI6Nox pic.twitter.com/wqnJaG32Va
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 19, 2024
Draisaitl’s playoff prowess has been evident throughout the course of his entire career to date. He made his first postseason appearance with the Oilers in 2017 and broke out with 16 points in 13 games. During the team’s run to the Western Conference Finals in 2022, Draisaitl notched 32 points in 16 games and was one point behind Connor McDavid for the team lead.
In 11 playoff games this season, Draisaitl leads all NHL forwards in scoring with 23 points. McDavid was asked about his teammate hitting this mark after last night’s big win.
“He’s been doing it since our first year in the playoffs in 2017, he was great then and he’s been great every chance we’ve had in the playoff since,” McDavid said. “Somebody that brings his game to a whole other level. I’ve said before, he’s one of the best players in the world and on a lot of nights, he is the best player in the world.
“In the playoffs, he’s been nothing but great.”
McDavid is close to Draisaitl, but he won’t be able to surpass his German running mate in the record books. The Oilers captain currently has 96 points in 60 career playoff games.
We’ll see if Draisaitl can add to his totals when he suits up for Game 7 tomorrow night in Vancouver.