Edmonton Oilers planned to not have Draisaitl play in huge game against Flames
Leon Draisaitl delivered an instant classic on Saturday night, but the initial plan was to have him sit it out.
The Edmonton Oilers superstar took centre stage against the Calgary Flames on Hockey Night in Canada. After missing the previous four games with an injury, Draisaitl played the role of hero in his return with two goals and an assist to help the Oilers secure a 3-2 OT victory.
His first goal of the night tied things up in the dying minutes, and he wrapped everything up with the OT winner. In doing so, the German power forward secured his fourth-career 50-goal season and upped his season total to 51.
HAVE YOURSELF A NIGHT, LEON!!! 🥵
Leon Draisaitl scores his 51st of the season on the @SubwayCanada OT winner ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/HyvsSUJXht
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 30, 2025
After the game, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said that the team had planned to give him an extra day, but that changed after the morning skate.
“I figured in the long-term that maybe he should have an extra day off or a few more days to play in [Tuesday’s] Vegas game, but he came a little bit early,” Knoblauch said. “He didn’t tell; he told the training staff that he was going to be ready to go, and there wouldn’t be any hesitation for him to play.”
“Trust me, I wasn’t encouraging to hold him back. I wanted Leon back very much.”
"Calgary's playing really well, very strong & physical… I thought we handled that pressure & the physicality well. Some key plays, mostly by Leon tonight & that's a different story."
Coach Knoblauch on the #Oilers effort vs. Calgary.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/UrHRu3bdYK
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 30, 2025
Not only did the Oilers not plan on having Draisaitl in the lineup, but they also drafted a set of forward lines that did not include him yesterday morning. Luckily, it did not come as a surprise to Draisaitl, and Knoblauch made sure to let him know before he came to the rink.
Of course, that changed quickly after the morning skate finished up.
“He said ‘sounds good’ [after I told him about the lines],” Knoblauch said with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure he felt like he was going to play tonight.”