Edmonton Oilers' Draisaitl gives best answer after missing two open nets
It was a frustrating night for Leon Draisaitl despite scoring the OT winner for the Edmonton Oilers in a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks.
The Oilers were behind for most of the game despite dominating the Sharks in almost every area of the ice. San Jose goalie Yaroslav Askarov nearly stole the victory away from Edmonton, making an incredible 39 stops in regulation.
However, the Sharks also had some luck on their side. In the third period, Draisaitl missed not one but two wide-open nets. The first saw the German superstar hit the post, while the other simply missed the net.
Luckily, Mattias Ekholm tied the game in the dying seconds, and Draisaitl scored the winner in overtime. After the game, Daily Hive asked Leon what was going through his head after missing those two previous chances, and he gave a short but very fitting answer.
“Uhhh… sh*t,” Draisaitl replied with a laugh. “It’s not a great feeling; every player has those once in a while.
“It’s always one of those where you come back to the bench, and you’re like, ‘If I just settled it down for a second, I’d have more time.’… The game is so fast sometimes the brain doesn’t operate at that speed.”
"These are always exciting & fun… We've done a good job the last two nights of finding a way to close out the game."
Leon Draisaitl on the #Oilers coming back late in the third to win in overtime in back-to-back games.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/akssCxo0Rf
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) December 22, 2024
It was classic Draisaitl as he made sure to give an honest answer, even if that did mean swearing with a young reporter right in front of him, who was helping the Oilers with post-game media as part of their “Next-Gen” night.
The Oilers superstar apologized for the language, which got a laugh out of the kids helping out.
“Excuse my language, by the way,” Draisaitl said to more laughs.
With the Oilers finding a way to get themselves the win, it’s easier to laugh off what must have been a frustrating night for the entire team. As mentioned, Edmonton badly outshot the Sharks by a 42-22 margin throughout the night, yet they needed nearly all 60 minutes to even push the game into OT.
The OT winner was Draisaitl’s 24th of the season, extending his lead league in goals over Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov and Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Braydon Point. It also helped give the Oilers their 20th win of the season and brought them within one point of the LA Kings for second place in the Pacific Division.
With Christmas less than a week away, Draisaitl and the rest of the Oilers hope tomorrow night’s game against the Ottawa Senators is a bit less frustrating than tonight.