Prepared three goals, scored one himself: national ice hockey player Leon Draisaitl scored 4-1 Edmonton Oilers against the New York Islanders with the best performance in weeks ensured a successful debut for coach Kris Knoblauch.
In the first NHL game under new head coach Kris Knoblauch, Draisaitl was involved in all four of the Oilers’ goals on Monday (11/13/2023/local time) when he scored his sixth goal of the season and prepared all the others. For Draisaitl it was assists numbers 11 to 13.
In the premiere under Knoblauch, the first head coach in the North American professional league, Draisaitl scored to make it 1-1 (15th minute). The Cologne native provided the assist for the Oilers’ remaining goals from Zach Hyman (48th), Connor McDavid (50th) and Evander Kane (58th).
“I liked the way the team played. We stayed patient”said coach Knoblauch after his debut. “There are definitely things we need to play better at. But the most important thing is that we don’t despair when things don’t go well.”
The Oilers’ surprising false start has consequences
The Canadian franchise reacted to the weak start to the season on Sunday and replaced Jay Woodcroft with Knoblauch. The day before, the Oilers had the Seattle Kraken Although they won 4-1, the first win after four defeats came too late for the head coach. Woodcroft took over the post in February 2022.
After only their fourth win from 14 games, Edmonton is second to last with nine points Pacific Division. Before the season, the team was a candidate for victory Stanley Cups been traded. Before the first game under new coach Knoblauch, Draisaitl said: “It’s up to us to be better.” He and the Oilers have succeeded in the first step.