The Edmonton Oilers' managed a burst of strong play down the stretch, qualifying for the National Hockey League Playoffs and almost managing to capture the Pacific Division title. It was an impressive effort, but that 'almost' had a lot to do with the absence of the elite skills of Leon Draisaitl. His injury versus the Nashville Predators had some fearing the Oilers could miss the playoffs entirely, but as of Game 1, he was back in a big way.
Draisaitl played 22:06 minutes of the game, and he looked dangerous from his very first shift. He had a primary assist on Kasperi Kapanen's first goal, and made the zone entry as well as managing the secondary assist on the game winner. Guys like Matt Savoie definitely stepped up when Draisaitl was hurt, but the ability to massively impact the game when Connor McDavid isn't on the ice was a factor that was noticeably missing during Draisaitl's absence.
Ducks depth put to the test
The Anaheim Ducks defense might be able to hide their weaknesses against a team with a single offensive forward line, but they looked exposed at times on Monday night. Young defender Tyson Hinds was a minus 2 on the evening, and veterans Radko Gudas and John Carlson were both minus 1.
Gudas has been a danger to NHL superstars in the past few months, and while he's capable of continuing that trend, the Ducks' coaching staff may have to limit his minutes (when he returns from his undisclosed injury) if it's found that he can't keep up with the Oilers' top stars. He only played 9:40 in Game 1. That may be injury related, or it may have something to do with his on ice play.
Closer than you'd want it
Admittedly, the game wasn't a firm declaration that Anaheim is only a speed bump on the Oilers' path to a third Cup Final. The Oilers were losing late, and it came down to a single goal (and a missed opportunity by Mikael Granlund with less than a minute to go. Tonight's game needs to be much more of a statement. One of these teams considers itself a legitimate contender, and they need to keep the series short and the team healthy to make that belief a reality.
Puck drops for Game 2 at 8pm mountain time. We know Draisaitl's going to be ready, and the Ducks haven't even heard from Connor McDavid yet. Should be a fun watch.
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