Draisaitl ‘winning battles’ at each end of ice for Oilers

EDMONTON -- Leon Draisaitl looked relaxed, refreshed and recharged holding court in the Edmonton Oilers dressing room after the first practice back from a week-long break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. His sense of humor was on point as well.

The Oilers forward had a simple answer when asked what he looks for in a linemate?

“Forecheck and get me the puck,” he said.

When the laughter subsided, it was pointed out to Draisaitl that not turning the puck over was probably a good trait as well.

“I’m obviously not the greatest forechecker myself, so having guys that hunt the puck,” Draisaitl said. “Get it to me and then I’ll do the turnover.”

A well-humored Draisaitl is a good sign for Edmonton. He looks to pick up where he left off, challenging for the NHL scoring title. He and the Oilers will be playing their second game back from the break when they visit the Washington Capitals on Sunday (1 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS) in the second of a five-game road trip after a 6-3 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

After practice Friday, Draisaitl said he wanted to get right back into his groove while being careful not to push it.

“I think trying to find it as early as possible but not trying too hard to find it in a way,” he said. “Sometimes when you come out of these breaks, you put everything you have into that first period and then you taper off a little bit. It might take a couple of shifts to get back into it and find the timing of it and find the plays that are there and able to see and to make. Just be a little patient.”

Draisaitl returned from the 4 Nations break with a goal and an assist Saturday, giving him 85 points (41 goals, 44 assists) in 56 games. He is second behind Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, who has 87 points (21 goals, 66 assists) in 58 games. Draisaitl scored twice to give him 40 on the season in a 5-4 loss to MacKinnon and the Avalanche on Feb. 7. MacKinnon had a goal and three assists to pull further ahead in the race.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t aware where I’m at,” Draisaitl said before the game. “But there are so many great players up there, it’s so tight, this is a one or two-game swing that can go in any direction and I’m aware of that and this is not the time to throw every egg in the basket and try and be the leader. Whoever it ends up being, is deserving of it and there’s lots of guys in the race.”

The race for the Art Ross Trophy as the League’s leading scorer is a measure for the Hart Trophy as most valuable player. Draisaitl is doing his part to keep the Oilers (34-18-4) in the Pacific Division race. They are two points behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights (34-17-6) in the Pacific Division after going 10-8-2 in their first 20 games.

“It was always the goal to be up there and lead the division and win the division, and it’s going to be a fight until the end, and we know that,” Draisaitl said. “It’s not the start that we wanted, we talked about it a lot, but I think this was always the game plan for us as a group (to finish first).”

Draisaitl won the Art Ross and Hart Trophy in 2020 with 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in 71 games. He’s on pace for over 120 points this season, his 11th with the Oilers.

The 29-year-old continues to elevate his game.

“He’s been so good, and I think it’s his backchecking,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “I know it’s not his offensive side that you want me to talk about, but he’s tracking back hard, winning battles, keeping pucks alive, making great plays. He’s been great.”

Draisaitl admits he has been more attentive in his own end of the ice this season. The Oilers as a group realize success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs starts with defensive structure and being responsible with the puck.

“It’s obviously a cliche to say good defense leads to offense, but that’s certainly the case,” Draisaitl said. “I’ve been valuing that a lot this season and it’s helped me. At the same time, when you’re defending hard and coming back you give up some offense as well, and that’s part of it too. I think it goes both ways.”

A new approach by Draisaitl to a full 200-foot game has not gone unnoticed by his teammates.

“You’re seeing a player that’s doing the same stuff but is bringing sort of a different vibe,” goalie Stuart Skinner said. “He’s coming out and skating hard every single night. He’s really leading the charge.”

Draisaitl jokes about turning the puck over because it is still an area of his game he is looking to shore up. As a playmaker, he is not afraid to attempt a high-risk pass, which doesn’t always work out.

“Yeah, Leon makes mistakes once in a while, every player makes mistakes, but when there is a mistake, he’s working extremely hard getting back and breaking up plays.” coach Kris Knoblauch said. “I don’t know how many times he has broken up a play on the backcheck, and that's a great trait to have your superstar working that hard defensively.”

The Oilers are pulling for Draisaitl to win the scoring title for the second time in his career and reach the 50-goal plateau for the fourth time. Yet, the focus is on team success in Edmonton, looking to finish the job after a 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season.

“We’ve had lots of scoring titles and MVPs and stuff like that,” McDavid said. “Obviously, it would be great to see him do that, but I think he would be the first one to tell you it’s not what we’re after. But obviously, it would be great for him.”