NHL giant saves the Oilers: Draisaitl scores "probably the most important goal" of his career

NHL giant saves the Oilers: Draisaitl scores "probably the most important goal" of his career. 04/28/2025, 8:51 a.m.

Leon Draisaitl led the Edmonton Oilers to a narrow home victory over the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL playoffs with a stellar performance. The German ice hockey star scored the winning goal with 103 seconds left in overtime. The series is now tied 2-2.

German ice hockey star Leon Draisaitl delivered a superb performance to help the Edmonton Oilers level the NHL playoffs in the first round. The Cologne native scored the game-winning goal after three assists in a dramatic 4-3 (0-1, 1-2, 2-0, 1-0) overtime victory in Game 4 of the dramatic fourth game against the Los Angeles Kings. The Oilers tied the best-of-seven series at 2-2.

"That was probably the most important goal of my career so far. Hopefully, there will be a few more that are even more important," said Draisaitl, who is confident about the upcoming games after his comeback: "It's a big win for us. We never give up." Draisaitl scored on the power play after 19 minutes of overtime. Evan Bouchard had earlier scored the celebrated equalizer for the Oilers with 28.4 seconds left in the final whistle. The defenseman had already made it 2-3 in the 48th minute. Corey Perry made it 1-2 in the 25th minute.

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The Kings got off to the better start. The Californians took 2-0 and 3-1 leads, but last year's Stanley Cup finalists improved in the final period. Bouchard rewarded the Oilers for their hard work. Edmonton continued to dominate in overtime, and the winning goal should have been scored even before Draisaitl's decision. The series now shifts back to California. Game five will take place on Wednesday night in Germany.

The Washington Capitals, led by record-breaking player Alexander Ovechkin, secured three match pucks. The team from the US capital defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 (0-0, 1-2, 4-0) and holds a 3-1 series lead. The regular season champions Winnipeg Jets, following a 5-1 (1-1, 0-3, 0-1) loss at the St. Louis Blues, were tied at 2-2. The Carolina Hurricanes, following a 5-2 (2-0, 1-2, 2-0) victory at the New Jersey Devils, pulled ahead to 3-1.