It was a tough night for Edmonton Oilers fans, but at least they can breathe a sigh of relief about the status of one of their team’s best players.
Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl left Game 1 for an undisclosed reason in the second period but returned for the third.
After Wednesday’s game, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch provided a positive update on Draisaitl’s status.
“Nothing at all, just some cramping,” Knoblauch said. “Between cramping and some equipment issues, that’s why his ice time was down.”
Draisaitl’s last full shift of the second period came at the 12-minute mark of the middle frame. He attempted to take another shift before quickly spinning around and heading back to the bench and then to the locker room.
He would return for the third and finished the game with two assists in 16:43 of ice time.
Now down 1-0 in the series after a stunning 5-4 loss on Wednesday, Draisatil will be a key contributor if the Oilers want to comeback in the series.
With his two points in Game 1, Draisaitl now has 12 points in six playoff games — tied for the team lead with his superstar partner Connor McDavid.
Speaking of McDavid, it wasn’t a great night for the Oilers captain, as he was held without a shot on net in a playoff game for the first time in his career.
Both McDavid and Draisaitl will surely be hungry for a better outcome in Game 2 on Friday.
