GAME CHANGER: Draisaitl's Hatty

When facing elimination, you need your stars to rise to the occasion.
On this night, that star was Leon Draisaitl.

The home team scored five goals in the first period and tacked on a sixth early in the second before Anaheim responded. The Oilers would down the Ducks 7-1, forcing Game 7.

Draisaitl was the offensive catalyst that night, scoring the first two goals and finishing with three for the game - plus two assists. His five-point night was the kind of performance that leads a team to a much needed victory.

Draisaitl's first goal came just 2:45 into the game. A burst of speed up the middle allowed the big forward to slip behind the Ducks defence. Draisaitl didn't have to use a hard shot, as John Gibson's poke-check missed and the puck slid through.
At 7:22 of the first, Draisaitl struck again. Milan Lucic centred a pass out in front where Draisaitl fought to the loose puck and then whipped a backhander past Gibson for the 2-0 lead.

Draisaitl's third goal of the game came at 15:27 of the second period, and it happened to be the final marker of the contest - putting a stamp on the 7-1 win.
On the power play, Draisaitl found some space in the slot and - after some back-and-forth passing with Lucic - sniped the hat-trick goal. Hats went flying to the ice as the ecstatic Rogers Place crowd celebrated the occasion.

Draisaitl posted career numbers in 2016-17, finishing second on the team in scoring with 77 points (29-48-77) in 82 games. In the post-season, Draisaitl paced the Oilers with 16 points (6-10-16) in 13 games.
On Wednesday, the club inked Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension. The promising young German hopes to bring plenty more memorable performances like this Game 6 for years to come.