No Canadian team had won the NHL championship for over 30 years, in 1993 it was last the Montreal Canadiens. 2024 they were Edmonton Oilers With her German superstar Leon Draisaitl very close in the final, but lost to the Florida Panthers.
At that time, Draisaitl played with a hand and rib injury, said coach Kris Knoblauch after the lost final series, in which the native of Cologne “only” had three goal participations in seven games.
This season, too, the German exceptional player had just before the Playoffs Just like some teammates struggling with injury worries – on time for “Crunch Time“But this time the season is different, emphasize all Oilers players and those responsible in unison.
Revanche for Dallas – or then revenge for the Oilers?
In the final there could be a revenge against the Panthers, which in the semi -finals with the Carolina Hurricanes measure. Before that, the hurdle for Edmonton is called German times from the night of Thursday (May 22nd, 2025) Dallas stars. In his part, Dallas burns on a revenge, and in 2024 the two teams were also in Conference-Finals opposite, with the better end for Draisaitl and Co.
“There were six close games last year. We have to prepare for the fact that things are scarce again, both in every single game and in the series”Draisaitl looks at the upcoming task of his team, but is optimistic: “Dallas practically plays the same system as in the previous year. I don’t think that you will change that against us in front of the series. So we already have a good idea of what awaits us.”
The Finn Mikko Rantannen did not play in Dallas at the time, but in these NHL playoffs leads the scorer list with 19 points, closely followed by Draisaitl (16) and its Canadian teammate Connor McDavid (17).
Two absolute top players – but (yet) no title for the Oilers
McDavid is of course the man as a figurehead of Canadian ice hockey, which the country looks at. Close behind it follows Draisaitl, who as the top goal scorer of the regular season has once again made it to the shortlist for the election as the most valuable player. In the past nine years the “Hard memorial trophy“For the most valuable player four times to Edmonton, three times on McDavid, 2020 to Draisaitl.
The Oilers players (VL) Connor McDavid with Leon Draisaitl and Olivier Rodrigue cheer in Las Vegas
There was no longer a title for the ice hockey nation Canada in the NHL for a long time, although at least seven of the 32 teams in the country are located with the maple leaf. Five of them had made it into the playoffs this season. After the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Winnipeg jets Both had to say goodbye in the conference semi-final and the Ottawa Senators, just like the Montreal Canadiens, had already failed in the first round, are now only the Oilers left.
All eyes on Edmonton. For Draisaitl, this is more motivation than the burden: “The pressure is always there when you play in Canada. Here is everything about ice hockey. It is very cool to be the last Canadian team in the playoffs again. I think that almost the whole country will support us. But we don’t just want to be the best Canadian team, we want to be the best team as a whole.”