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Edmonton Oilers: Draisaitl Sparking the Offence

By Sammi Silber

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 24: Edmonton Oilers Center Leon Draisaitl (29) passes the puck during the third period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers on October 24, 2017, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. The Penguins defeated the Oilers 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 24: Edmonton Oilers Center Leon Draisaitl (29) passes the puck during the third period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers on October 24, 2017, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. The Penguins defeated the Oilers 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Edmonton Oilers had to go without the services of Leon Draisaitl for a few games to kick off the 2017-18 campaign

During that period, the Oilers could not muster up much on offence. Not to mention, they went 1-3 and had the wost goals per game average in the league heading into Thursday’s matchup with the Stars, with just 1.9 g/pg.

Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers /

Edmonton Oilers

Against Dallas, despite a lacklustre showing on the penalty kill, Edmonton played a hard-fought game and got a lot more from their offence. Edmonton’s forecheck appeared to bust out and regain its rhythm, and a lot of that can be attributed to the German forward.

Draisaitl’s Impact

In just five games this season, Draisaitl has racked up a goal and six points. Three of those six assists came from Thursday’s victory alone.

He is able to make plays and do a lot to not only pull a lot of weight on offence, but to create more scoring chances as well. Not only that, he skates well and has tremendous vision, and he is able to move the puck up ice and is sure to finish on his chances.

Draisaitl reunited with Connor McDavid and Patrick Maroon on the top line, despite drawing back into action on the third line with Drake Caggiula and Mark Letestu. He creates a lot of speed and chemistry on this top unit, and they seem to work well together. And although the 22-year-old has proven capable of carrying his own line, he should remain on that top unit.

First off, Edmonton shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken, especially with their offence struggling of late. If that first line is able to generate chances and score goals, then they should remain together. While it may be wise to spread out scorers to the rest of the forward lines, they may not capture the same chemistry. Not only that, other Oilers should be stepping up to generate chances and prove their worths as well.

Next: Edmonton Oilers: Offence Busting Out

Overall, having Draisaitl back is proving beneficial to Edmonton. There is more speed and effort on the top-six, and he is heavily involved int eh play and doesn’t shy away from generating more opportunities.

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