Draisaitl delivers vintage performance for Oilers in Game 1 win in Stanley Cup Final

EDMONTON -- Leon Draisaitl lifted his arms in the air like conquering heroes are apt to do, celebrating his overtime winner in the Edmonton Oilers’ dramatic 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place on Wednesday.

What a difference a year makes.

It was just 12 months ago that hand and rib injuries significantly hampered the Oilers center in the 2024 Final that the Panthers ended up winning in seven games. Indeed, just the simple task of raising his hands above his head 12 months ago like he did in jubilation on this night might have been nearly impossible, given the pain he was playing through.

This time around, he’s feeling much fresher as part of the Oilers’ attempt at retribution against the Panthers. And as his teammates know, a healthy Leon Draisaitl is a dangerous Leon Draisaitl.

“It feels good,” he said afterward. “And I think that goes for a lot of our guys. Some of our guys got pretty banged up early last year in the playoffs and, you know, the fatigue seemed to come a bit quicker.

“So it’s nice to feel good and healthy, and hopefully it stays that way.”

The Oilers are banking on it, considering the impact he’s had on his team in these Stanley Cup Playoffs.

After all, the 29-year-old proved once again how much of a difference-maker, when healthy, he can be.

Consider this: When he beat Sergei Bobrovsky from the low slot at 19:29 of overtime, Draisaitl tied the Stanley Cup Playoffs record for most overtime goals in one playoff year with three. He shares the record with two other players participating in this series: Corey Perry (three in 2017) and Matthew Tkachuk (three in 2023).

Making the moment that much sweeter for Draisaitl was the fact that his parents, Sandra and Peter, were sitting directly behind the glass at the end of the rink where their son blasted the winner into the net, releasing a burst of euphoria for all parties concerned.

“That’s everything,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. "You know, they’re just like any hockey parents that are in that situation. They’ve sacrificed time, money, whatever you want to call it, but it’s special to have them here, special for them to be part of this and have them around.

“And obviously it worked out well. They had a front-row seat there.”

Much like the hockey world did Wednesday for a vintage Draisaitl performance that served as a reminder of why he’s considered one of the best on the planet.

A year ago, he looked anything but that. His aches and pains resulted in just three assists in seven games against the Panthers, a series in which he never really looked like himself.

He does now, and it’s showing in the stats. Not only did his two-goal performance help give the Oilers a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series, it also bumped him up to 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) in 17 playoff games this spring, second in NHL scoring behind teammate Connor McDavid, who has 28 (six goals, 22 assists).

"We don't win the game tonight without him, so that tells you that story,” Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “He's one of the top two guys, obviously, on our team, and maybe in the League. [Connor and Leon] were phenomenal out there. You saw the plays that they were making on a couple of goals tonight.

“He just looks very confident, very, very comfortable. He's doing his thing.”

At a very high level, according to McDavid.

It was fitting that it was the Oilers captain who set up Draisaitl for the decisive goal after Panthers forward Tomas Nosek took a minor penalty for shooting the puck over the glass at 18:17 of overtime. Having been teammates for the past 10 years, their dream of finally winning the Stanley Cup together once again is in their sights.

As such, McDavid could not say enough about his teammate afterward.

“He’s invaluable,” McDavid said of Draisaitl. "Clutch goals, face-offs, you name it he does it. He doesn’t get enough respect or credit for his defensive capabilities either.

“There’s maybe nobody better.”

There certainly wasn’t on this night.