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Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl says quiet part out loud about triumphant injury return vs. Ducks
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- Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl says quiet part out loud about triumphant injury return vs. Ducks
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The Edmonton Oilers are off and running as they attempt to win the Western Conference for a third consecutive campaign, beating the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in Game 1 of their Round 1 series at Rogers Place on Monday night.
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And superstar Leon Draisaitl , who made his return to the lineup after missing the final 14 games of the regular-season, was right in the thick of it. The German recorded two assists, the second on a Kasperi Kapanen goal with just under two minutes left in regulation to seal the victory .
"I felt OK," the 30-year-old told reporters after the game, per ESPN. "Certainly going to take a couple games to really be myself, and really trust myself again. But for a start, I thought it was OK."
Draisaitl suffered a knee injury early in a 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on March 15, and was placed on long-term injured reserve shortly after. He returned to his home country to get treatment, with the hope that he would be ready at some point during the first round.
Not only was he able to suit up for Game 1, he played over 22 minutes and made a significant impact despite clearly not being at 100 percent.
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"Obviously, this wasn't our best, wasn't our sharpest," Draisaitl admitted. "But certainly, we'll chip away at it, and be better next game. The Ducks are skilled. We knew that. They can score, they're good off the rush, they can all skate. It's a good hockey team. Not much else to say. Two good teams going at it. We'll take it from there."
It was a rare off game for Connor McDavid , who was surprisingly held off the score sheet — something that doesn't happen very often for the Art Ross Trophy winner.
The Oilers were 0-12-2 in the regular-season when the captain didn't record a point, but were able to rally from a 3-2 deficit to winn 4-3 and hold onto home-ice advantage in Game 1.
They'll look to retain it when Game 2 gets underway from Rogers Place on Wednesday night; puck is set to drop just past 10:00 p.m. ET.
Related: Oilers hit with disappointing Adam Henrique injury update
Related: Oilers' Jason Dickinson speaks out after clutch Game 1 performance vs. Ducks
