Oilers' Draisaitl has proven in past playoffs he can dominate while injured

The Edmonton Oilers are being very secretive about it, but it seems pretty clear that Leon Draisaitl suffered an injury on Wednesday night.

Draisaitl was forced to miss a good chunk of the second period in Game 1 versus the Vancouver Canucks, with some fans speculating he may have suffered a back injury. He was able to return for the third period but seemed to be labouring throughout.

After missing practice yesterday, it isn’t 100% clear whether or not Draisaitl will suit up in Game 2 tonight, though the fact he was able to finish the contest on Wednesday is a positive sign. While not having one of the best players in the league fully healthy is far from ideal for the Oilers, it may not be the significant blow many believe it to be.

It’s important to remember that this wouldn’t be the first time Draisaitl has played at far less than 100% in the postseason.

During the 2022 playoffs, Draisaitl suffered a high-ankle sprain in Game 6 of the first round versus the LA Kings. The Oilers wound up winning the series in seven, and not only did Draisaitl miss no time, but he continued to dominate despite struggling to get around the ice.

mcdavid with a great drive to the net with a scrum ensuing. looks like draisaitl's right leg got twisted up when he was hauled to the ice and he's reportedly went down the tunnel, per @TSNRyanRishaug. pic.twitter.com/XBFFRmLWGh

— zach (@zjlaing) May 13, 2022

In the very next round versus the Calgary Flames, Draisaitl, despite being in obvious pain to everyone watching, put up a ridiculous 17 points in just five games. In 16 total playoff games that year, he had seven goals and 32 points. He recorded three or more points in seven of those games, joining Wayne Gretzky as the only player in NHL history to do so in the playoffs.

Though the injury he seems to be dealing with this time around is different, the 28-year-old superstar has proven that he has a very high pain threshold. Should he be able to suit up not only tonight but for the rest of the series, he is still very capable of producing for the Oilers.

Puck drop for tonight’s outing is set for 8 pm MT, meaning we should have a better idea later this afternoon as to whether or not he will suit up. Oilers fans will be praying he is able, as they do not want to be trailing this series 2-0 heading back to Edmonton for Game 3 on Sunday.

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