The Edmonton Oilers are perfect when Connor McDavid is out of the lineup this season, just like everybody predicted.
A large part of that is Leon Draisaitl, who has taken his game to a new level in the two games since the Oilers captain went down with an ankle injury. Edmonton has managed a 5-1 blowout win over the Nashville Predators and a tight 4-2 victory over the Calgary Flames with Draisaitl leading the way with a pair of three-point nights.
It should be no surprise that the German superstar is racking up the points, but without McDavid playing, it becomes that much more impressive. His teammates have become accustomed to this type of performance, but they recognize Draisaitl stepping it up.
“He’s playing unbelievable,” Zach Hyman said after Sunday night’s win over the Flames. “He’s driving the bus right now for our team in all areas of the game.
“He’s been phenomenal.”
“I think Stu played great. He gave us a chance to win, made some huge saves, key saves at the right times.”
Zach Hyman on Stuart Skinner’s performance for the #Oilers in Calgary.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/Vfg1zO490o
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 4, 2024
Draisaitl is now up to nine goals through the first 12 games of the season, which puts him in a tie for second in the league and one back of first place. Three of those goals have come in the past two games with McDavid out of the lineup.
Mattias Ekholm went as far as to say that Draisaitl is a bit underrated in that McDavid has a knack for stealing the spotlight on most nights.
“Sometimes I think he gets overlooked when Connor does his thing,” Ekholm said. “I think there’s nights where [Draisaitl] should be getting maybe bigger highlighters and bigger spotlights than he actually does.
“That’s what the best do I think. They bring out the best in themselves when it’s needed the most for our group and for our team and he’s certainly done that.”
“Guys have been stepping up. When you lose the best player in the world, you’re going to have to have the collective, especially the forward group, step up.”
Mattias Ekholm on the #Oilers filling the absence of Connor McDavid in the lineup. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/ENK4e2oSFf
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 4, 2024
It’s not only his goalscoring that is impressive but also how he is setting up his teammates. There appears to be a fair bit of chemistry brewing on that line alongside Viktor Arvidsson and Vasily Podkolzin.
He helped set Arvidsson up for his first goal as an Oiler against the Predators and got an assist on Hyman’s GWG vs. the Flames.
ZMH PPG 😍 #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/OGiSVcV6uj
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 4, 2024
Obviously, the team is anxious to welcome their captain back into the lineup when that time comes, but the hope is that the team can claw themselves into a much better position when McDavid is ready to lace them up.
So far, so good.