Leon Draisaitl is making another attempt to win the Stanley Cup in the North American ice hockey Profilga NHL. But he also knows how difficult it will be.
Before starting the NHL-They need the main round Edmonton Oilers no motivational help for their German star Leon Draisaitl. After two disappointing ends to the season in the North American professional ice hockey league, the team learned something new. “There’s a reason we didn’t advance. There’s a reason we didn’t win. But we’re definitely not far away”said the Cologne player before the start against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night (October 12, 2023). “We are ready to win. More importantly, we are ready to do whatever it takes to win.”emphasized the 27-year-old: “There’s not much missing. At least that’s my feeling and I believe that from everyone else. I think the whole league feels that way about us.”
Oilers one of the favorites
The season begins on Tuesday evening American time with the three games Nashville Predators both Tampa Bay Lightningthe Chicago Blackhawks around the German attacker Lukas Reichel Pittsburgh Penguins and the Seattle Kraken with Rosenheim goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer against defending champions Vegas Golden Knights. The Oilers are – as is Tim Stützle with them Ottawa Senators in a duel with the Carolina Hurricanes – on the ice for the first time on the second day of the new season. As in the previous two years, they are once again among the absolute favorites to win Stanley Cup. But both times they were Playoffs ended before the final series.
Draisaitl: “It’s a marathon”
Taking part in the decisive games for the famous cup is the ultimate goal, but the 82 games on the way to the playoffs are no less important. “This is a marathon”, explained Draisaitl’s congenial teammate Connor McDavid. Together the two form the most dangerous attacking duo in the league. Especially in the contested one Pacific Division the Western Conference In the end, every point can more or less make the difference as to who has one more home game in the close playoff duels and can let their own fans push them forward.
The Golden Knights, the Oilers, that Los Angeles Kings and the Kraken all scored at least 100 points in the main round last season. In no other division have four teams had this result. The Golden Knights showed how important home advantage can be on the way to their first title win with nine wins in twelve home games.
Mark Stone, right wing of the Vegas Golden Knights, skates across the ice with the Stanley Cup.
Get better throughout the year
And Draisaitl believes that the games in the main round are important for something else: “You have to build your game. You have to start well and then develop over months and get better over the year.” The approach is to then play the best ice hockey in the most important phase of the season.
Draisaitl recorded 52 goals and 76 assists last season, absolutely exceptional values in a league as strong as the NHL. Nevertheless, the football fan was often overshadowed by his colleague McDavid, who scored an incredible 153 points (64 goals and 89 assists). Nevertheless, Draisaitl has won all the important individual awards in his nine years in the NHL. In 2020 he was the first German to win Art Ross Trophy as the best Scorer the league, also the Hart Memorial Trophy as well as the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s most valuable player.
Leon Draisaitl (l) and Connor McDavid (r)
Longing for the Stanley Cup
If he could, he would trade all these honors for the one goal he has been working towards since the beginning of his career: the Stanley Cup. “As a team, we are at a stage in our career where it is no longer about individual awards, it is no longer about individual statistics”he emphasized: “So I’m going to do what I have to do to be successful. The main goal is always to be competitive and be the last team standing. And that’s what we’re all playing for.”