Draisaitl becomes 1st in NHL to score 50 goals this season for Oilers

EDMONTON -- Leon Draisaitl was expecting a call from his father in Germany after becoming the first player in the NHL to score 50 goals this season in the Edmonton Oilers’ 3-2 overtime win against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Place on Saturday.

Draisaitl scored the tying goal and won it in overtime to give him 51, marking the fourth time in 11 seasons the native of Cologne, Germany has scored at least 50 goals. He is tied with Jari Kurri for second in Oilers history behind Wayne Gretzky (eight).

Draisaitl scored 50 goals (55 assists, 105 points) in 2018-19, 55 (55 assists, 110 points) in 2021-22, and 52 (76 assists, 128 points) in 2022-23.

“I’m sure, I’ll get a call from my old man,” Draisaitl said. “Maybe my mom too. I’m looking forward to that.”

The two goals and assist gave Draisaitl 104 points (51 goals, 53 assists) in 69 games this season. He is third in the scoring race behind Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, who each have 109 points.

Draisaitl returned to the lineup Saturday after missing four games with an undisclosed injury sustained in a 7-1 win against the Utah Hockey Club on March 18, when his 18-game point streak (14 goals, 13 assists), the longest in the League this season, came to an end.

A self-professed pass-first forward, Draisaitl has developed into one of the most prolific goal-scorers in the NHL. He and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals are the only two active players to have at least four 50-goal seasons. Ovechkin has nine.

“When you have great passers around you, then you’re going to start shooting a little bit more and you’re going to get a little extra time in certain spots,” Draisaitl said. “I work on it (shot) daily. I put myself in different situations in practice and sometimes it’s instinctual a little bit. Just constantly trying to improve it.”

Draisaitl showcased his accurate shot on the tying goal. He brought the puck into the zone down the right side and fired far side past Calgary goaltender Dustin Wolf from the bottom of the right circle at 16:48 of the third period for No. 50.

The 29-year-old scored his 51st of the season with the game-winner at 2:25 of overtime, trailing into the zone to take a pass from Jeff Skinner and scoring on a wrist shot from the top of the slot.

“Whether you’re the [defenseman] trying to block it or the goalie, it always seems like you’re a split-second late,” Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said of Draisaitl’s shot. “It’s on and off very quick, and a lot of times you’re beaten whether you’re a [defenseman] or a goalie to the spot. It doesn’t matter where it is, as long as it’s on net.”

Draisaitl has been a consistent goal scorer for the Oilers this season. He has 10 two-goal games and is still looking for his first hat trick.

“There’s not many pass-first 50-goal scorers,” Nurse said. “He’s one of them. I think obviously his vision for the game, the way he sees the game is second-to-none. When you’re passing and see the game as he does, to find that open space and get the opportunities he does to get the shot off, he’s worked on scoring goals from tough areas too, it’s night in and night out. It’s things for our group that is really special.”

Draisaitl said prior to the game it would be special to score 50 goals again this season. He is constantly trying to improve as a goal-scorer and has seen the results in the past few seasons.

“If you saw his stick, you’d be surprised that he could shoot at all,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “It’s a stick that I’ve never seen before. His shot is very deceptive, it does have some velocity, but I wouldn’t say it’s overpowering. I know goalies find it difficult to pick up his shot and are unsure where it’s going to go.”

Edmonton forward Zach Hyman, who had 54 goals last season, marvels at Draisaitl’s scoring ability.

“This year it feels like he's scored every game, he's been that consistent and that good for us,” Hyman said. “I don't even think he has a hat trick this year and I think that speaks with how consistent and how good he's been every single game to be able to do that without many multigoal games.”

Draisaitl has scored twice into an empty net; Ovechkin, Brandon Hagel of the Lightning and Mikko Rantanen of the Dallas Stars lead the League with eight empty-net goals apiece.

“Imagine if we just got a little better at empty nets,” Hyman said. “If you take out the empty-net goals, he's leading in every offensive category.”

Draisaitl was the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft and with captain Connor McDavid, chosen No. 1 in the 2015 NHL Draft, helped Edmonton advance to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season, a 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. He was voted winner of the 2020 Hart Trophy as most valuable player and is a contender again this season.

Draisaitl’s scoring prowess is not limited to the regular season; he has 108 points (41 goals, 67 assists) in 74 playoff games.

“I’ve only been with him for a year and a bit, and I’ve seen him in playoffs and I’ve watched him play pretty banged up several times,” Knoblauch said. “I’ve heard in the past, in other series where he had that ankle sprain, and he played on that. It’s difficult to play well and score in the regular season, it’s even harder to do it in the playoff and it’s almost impossible to do it in the playoffs when you’re hurt and somehow he finds a way to do it.”