ESPN News Services2 minutes to read
Edmonton, Alberta — Leon Draistel scored twice in a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, adding another night to remember in a landmark offensive Edmonton Oilers season.
Draisaitl’s efforts gave him 100 points for the season, and NHL captain Connor McDavid scored a goal and an assist in the win, pushing his All-Star status to 129 points. And for only the second time in NHL history, the same teammates were the first players to land at 100 points in consecutive seasons.
“I thought the best player on the ice tonight was Leon Dricetel … by a diagonal mile,” said Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft.
Draisaitl pushed his goal total on the season to 44, and McDavid, Edmonton’s captain, had a 73rd assist on Draisaitl’s second goal and scored into an empty net with 2:13 left for his 56th goal.
“I thought he played the game like he was on a mission,” Woodcroft said of Draisaitl. “I think he was 70% in the face-off circle, he had a good conscientiousness about him throughout the game in terms of both sides of the puck, and I think when he plays in the middle he really gets his feet moving.”
As is often the case, though, Draisaitl was subdued in the locker room after the performance.
“I feel very fortunate,” Dricetel said. “Obviously, I’m very happy about it, but that’s my job, and that’s what I get paid to do. And I can’t do it without any of those guys here.”
The last two seasons in which teammates were the first players to score 100 points in the NHL were 1973-74 and 1974-75, when Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr Hall of Famers did it for the Boston Bruins.
“For people to be in the company of these Boston Bruins, Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr, those are two good names to be associated with,” Woodcroft added.
Derek Ryan, Ryan Nugent Hopkins and Nick Begstad also scored for the Oilers, and Stuart Skinner made 29 tackles.
Tim Stötzl scored twice for Ottawa, giving them 34 points for the season. Brady Tkachuk added his 27th goal and Mads Sugard stopped 27 shots. Ottawa has lost three times in a row.
Nugent-Hopkins gave the Oilers a 3-2 lead on the power play at 5:39 of the second period. He has 31 goals this season.
Bjugstad hit again to go into the period for Edmonton as well. But the night belonged to Drystle, who made it 4-2 with 3:43 left in that period.
“He’s the embodiment of hockey,” Woodcroft said. “It is the definition of what a modern power forward looks like, or what it should look like.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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