The Edmonton Oilers led by German national ice hockey player Leon Draisaitl have a home advantage in the first round of the NHL playoffs – despite a defeat against the Arizona Coyotes.
The Oilers lost to the Coyotes on Friday (April 12, 2024 / local time) 2:3 (0:1, 1:1, 1:0, 0:1) after overtime, but got the one point they still needed to at least To secure second place in the Pacific Division of the North American professional league.
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McDavid has to pass again
With one game less than the division first Vancouver Canucks, first place is still possible. On Saturday the Oilers will play in a direct duel against the Canucks. They are hoping for the return of captain Connor McDavid, who had to sit out the second game in a row against Arizona. The star player has 99 assists and could become the fourth player in NHL history to reach the mark of 100 assists in a regular season.
Against the Coyotes, McDavid was particularly missing his strike partner Draisaitl. The German had no involvement in the goal and only had two shots on goal.
Defending champion Golden Knights reach playoffs
Meanwhile, defending champion Vegas Golden Knights became the eighth and last team in the Western Conference to reach the playoffs. The Golden Knights won 7-2 against the Minnesota Wild and also benefited from a 2-5 loss by the St. Louis Blues against the Carolina Hurricanes. In the Eastern Conference, five teams are still fighting for the last two vacant playoff spots, including the Detroit Red Wings with Moritz Seider. The other five Germans in the NHL have already missed the playoffs with their teams.
