Draisaitl now has 27 goals in 28 career games against the Nashville Predators.
Draisaitl now has 27 goals in 28 career games against the Nashville Predators.
They don't call him the 'Mayor of Nashville' for nothing.
Leon Draisaitl continued his absolute dominance of the Nashville Predators on Thursday night, notching two goals and an assist in the Oilers' --- win.
He got things started early, finding Viktor Arvidsson for his first goal as an Oiler just 37 seconds into the game after Vasily Podkolzin forced a turnover on a furious first shift for the Oilers.
That lead didn't last long, however, as the Oilers' penalty kill reared its ugly head less than five minutes later. Brett Kulak's clearing attempt hit Connor Brown in front of the net and bounced right in front of Nashville's Filip Forsberg, who made no mistake, beating Calvin Pickard to tie the game at 1.
It took some new blood to get the Oiler back on the board. Halfway through the first period, Noah Philp found Drake Caggiula in the slot with a smart pass from behind the net. Predators goalie Juuse Saros made the initial save, but Corey Perry cleaned up the rebound to give Philp his first career NHL point and Caggiula his first since November 16th, 2021.
It was all Oilers from there. Draisaitl added two more, first capitalizing on a turnover from Michael McCarron in the second, then walking Brady Skjei to sneak a puck past Saros in the third period.
Zach Hyman joined the fray late in the third, making no mistake on a breakaway sprung by Darnell Nurse to join Arvidsson with his first goal of the season and extend the Oilers' lead to 5-1, where it would remain.
It wasn't all offence for the Oilers, either. Ty Emberson logged the first fight of his NHL career in the first period, dropping the gloves with Nashville's Cole Smith after Smith took exception to a hit Emberson laid on Predators rookie Zachary L'Heureux. Vasily Podkolzin joined him in the third, dropping Jeremy Lauzon with a massive haymaker to cap off an impressive night for the big Russian winger.
In net, Calvin Pickard posted another impressive start for the Oilers, making 26 saves on 27 shots for his third consecutive win and second against the Predators this season.
All in all, this was a much-needed win for the Oilers. They needed help up and down the lineup with Connor McDavid injured, and they got exactly that. Not only did Leon Draisait fill the void with a two-goal night, but Arvidsson and Hyman finally found the back of the net, and call-ups Philp and Caggiula got on the board as well.
Throw in a couple of fights from new Oilers in Emberson and Podkolzin and a huge start from their backup goalie, and the Oilers got exactly what they needed to start an extremely important stretch of their season.
Player Of The Game: Leon Draisaitl
Who else?
I don't know what Leon Draisaitl has against the people of Nashville, but the Oilers certainly appreciate it. His two-goal, three-point night gives him 25 goals and 41 points in his last 16 games against the Predators, going back to his 23rd birthday on October 27th, 2018. He'll need to be the Oilers' best player in McDavid's absence, and Thursday's performance is a massive step in that direction.
Play Of The Game
Draisaitl saved his best for last, taking a breakout pass from former Predator Mattias Ekholm (who has seven points in his last four games) before burning Brady Skjei and pinging one off the post and past Juuse Saros for the second goal of the night and eighth of the season.
This win not only brings their record to 5-5-1, good for a .500 points percentage, but continues their recent dominance of the Predators. They own a 12-1-1 record against Nashville since 2019-20, including a 6-0-1 record at Bridgestone Arena. They'll get their final crack at the Predators two weeks from now, when they welcome them to Rogers Place on November 14th.
Now 2-1 on their four-game road trip, the Oilers will close it out in Calgary on Sunday in the second Battle of Alberta of the season.
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