Leon Draisaitl secured a 3-1 victory for the Edmonton Oilers against the Seattle Kraken, extending his career scoring dominance over the franchise with a late goal at the 58-minute mark. Connor McDavid sealed the result with an empty-net goal, as the Oilers moved to five points through three games of the National Hockey League season.
Draisaitl Extends Scoring Pace Against Seattle
Leon Draisaitl continued his remarkable history against the Kraken by recording his 35th career point in matchups between the two teams. The forward has notched nine goals and 26 assists across 16 games against Seattle, finding the scoresheet in 15 of those contests. Twelve of those appearances have yielded multi-point nights for the Cologne native. The late game-winner also marked Draisaitl’s goal against his 29th different NHL franchise, placing him behind only active leaders Nathan MacKinnon with 32, alongside Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Sebastian Aho, and Kyle Palmieri at 30.
A Fortunate Bounce Decides a Tight Defensive Battle
Edmonton head coach and players pointed to team structure as the foundation of the win, though the decisive sequence involved a distinct element of fortune. A stray pass struck Connor McDavid near the boards on the knee, redirecting the puck directly to Draisaitl, who beat Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer from close range. “If you see something like that, you sometimes realize how hockey is,” Seattle goalscorer Bobby McMann noted in frustration regarding the erratic deflection that broke the stalemate. Draisaitl characterized the overall performance as a blueprint for the club’s desired identity, emphasizing the defensive responsibility shown by the roster throughout the sixty minutes.
Mixed Results Across German NHL Contingents
Head coach Marco Sturm dropped his first contest behind the bench for the Boston Bruins, falling 4-1 to the Minnesota Wild while forward Nico Sturm did not dress for the hosts. Meanwhile, Tim Stützle contributed an assist on Michael Amadio’s second-period goal during the Ottawa Senators’ 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, helping set up the eventual game-winning effort by Stephen Halliday in the third period.
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