Leon Draisaitl creates a piece of NHL history against the Predators

Having to play two-to-three weeks without your top player -- who also doubles as the best in the NHL as a whole -- is not a prospect to look forward to. However, this is exactly the situation facing the Edmonton Oilers following Connor McDavid's ankle injury, with him set to miss anywhere between six to 10 games. (At least based on the current prognosis for his recovery.)

Well, for one game at least the Oilers rose to the occasion without their captain, resulting in an impressive 5-1 win on the road in Nashville against the Predators. And leading the way was Leon Draisaitl, who had three points on the night and was awarded the First Star of the Game.

Now yes, there's plenty of people who will contend Draisaitl should be leading the way, and justifying the eight-year, $112 million contract extension he signed, albeit it doesn't kick in until next season. Regardless, he did the business and helped the Oilers improve their record to 5-5-1 to begin the 2024-25 campaign.

The five-time NHL All-Star's performance included two goals, which sees him now on eight for the season and just two behind of the league lead ahead of Friday's slate of games. However, the scoring brace was also noteworthy for another reason.

A little piece of history in Nashville

As per Sportsnet, this was Draisaitl's 10th career multi-goal game against the Predators. No other player has recorded more multi-goal contests against Nashville.

This is an impressive achievement for the 2020 Hart Memorial Trophy winner, although he was understandably more focused on the effort of the team as a whole without McDavid in the lineup. As per the team's official YouTube account, he said:

"He’s the best player in the world, so we’re certainly going to miss him, but it also creates a lot of opportunities, a lot of looks for other players. I thought tonight everyone did a great job of accepting that and sticking together, and playing collectively as a group."

Improved line chemistry

What's been really good for Draisaitl, is the continued development of his chemistry alongside Viktor Arvidsson -- who finally scored his first goal as an Oiler against the Predators -- and Vasily Podkolzin. He said:

"I think we've had, with the exception of the last game maybe, the last four games have been really, really good. I think we’re connecting, we’re creating a lot of looks. I think all three of us would like to finish a little bit better. I think there’s a lot of looks that can be put in the net, but I think we’re finding each other. We’re reading off each other and I’ve really enjoyed playing with them."

As much as the 29-year-old has stressed the team effort to make up for the absence of McDavid, he was asked if he does take it upon himself at all, to take charge in a situation like this. He said:

"Yeah, a little bit. Obviously we have different leaders in this group, and we're all looking to contribute in our (own) way. When he's out it puts a little more pressure on me, but I love those situations and I think I've always been good at stepping up in those moments."

This includes always seeming to be able to step up against the Predators specifically. The Oilers will of course now be hoping Draisaitl can carry this momentum over into their next game, for the Battle of Alberta on Sunday night in Calgary.

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