Oilers' Draisaitl on pace to shatter NHL single-year playoff goal record

There’s no stopping Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl right now.

Hot off a four-goal performance against the Vegas Golden Knights in the opening game of the second round, Draisaitl followed that up with a show-stopping two-goal outburst in Game 2 on Saturday night. While the opening outburst was inexplicably a 6-4 loss for the visiting Edmonton side, Draisaitl and company combined for a 5-1 win yesterday to even the series.

Through eight games, Draisaitl has 13 goals, already just six off of the single-year NHL record total for one playoff run.

The record setting number of 19 was set in 1976 by Philadelphia’s Reggie Leach, and matched nine years later in 1985 by fellow Oiler Jarri Kurri.

“He’s playing on another level,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said of his teammate. “I’m not sure why anyone would be surprised at this point. He’s the best player in the world a lot of nights. He’s shown that on a regular basis.”

McDavid has picked up five of his own goals in eight games to go along with 10 assists for 15 points, and sits tied for second in league scoring with Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk.

But record chasing means little if the Oilers can’t keep on winning. McDavid himself put up 10 goals and 23 assists in just 16 playoff contests last year, but knows it doesn’t feel all that great if the season ends in a loss.

“We’re here for a lot more than scoring goals and putting up points. That’s not what it’s about at all. That’s not what we’re doing here. We’re just part of the piece,” McDavid added

The Oilers return home to Rogers Place on Monday night, when they host the Golden Knights for Game 3 of the series at 6:30 pm MT.