Oilers’ Draisaitl, ‘greatest participant on the ice,’ reaches 100 factors

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EDMONTON, Alberta — Center Leon Draisaitl scored twice in a 6-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, including one other night time to recollect in an Edmonton Oilers’ season stuffed with offensive milestones.

Draisaitl’s effort gave him 100 factors for the season, and NHL scoring chief Connor McDavid had a objective and an help within the win, pushing the All-Star heart to 129 factors. And for simply the second time in NHL historical past, the identical teammates have been the primary two gamers to land at 100 factors in consecutive seasons.

“I thought the best player on the ice tonight was Leon Draisaitl … by a country mile,” Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft mentioned.

Draisaitl pushed his season targets whole to 44, and McDavid, the Edmonton captain, had his 73rd help on Draisaitl’s second objective and scored into an empty internet with 2:13 left for his 56th objective.

“I thought he played the game like he was on a mission,” Woodcroft mentioned of Draisaitl. “I think he was 70% in the faceoff circle, he had a good conscience about him the entire game in terms of both sides of the puck, and I think when he plays in the middle, he really gets his feet moving.”

As is commonly the case, although, Draisaitl was subdued within the locker room after the efficiency.

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“I feel very fortunate,” Draisaitl mentioned. “Obviously, I’m very happy about it, but this is my job, this is what I get paid to do. And I couldn’t do it without any of these guys in here.”

The final two-season run through which teammates have been the primary gamers to 100 factors within the NHL was 1973-74 and 1974-75, when Hockey Hall of Famers Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr did so for the Boston Bruins.

“For those guys to be in the company of those Boston Bruins, Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr, those are two good names to be associated with,” Woodcroft added.

Derek Ryan, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nick Bjugstad additionally scored for the Oilers, and Stuart Skinner made 29 saves.

Tim Stutzle scored twice for Ottawa, giving him 34 for the season. Brady Tkachuk added his twenty seventh objective, and Mads Sogaard stopped 27 pictures. Ottawa has misplaced three in a row.

Nugent-Hopkins gave the Oilers a 3-2 lead on an influence play at 5:39 of the second interval. He has 31 targets this season.

Bjugstad struck with a second to go within the interval for Edmonton, as properly. But the night time belonged to Draisaitl, who made it 4-2 with 3:43 left within the interval.

“He’s hockey sense personified,” Woodcroft mentioned. “He’s the definition of what the modern-day power forward looks like, or should look like.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.