Leon Draisaitl isn’t worried about the Edmonton Oilers’ ability to bounce back after a blowout loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 3.
“We pride ourselves in coming up with an answer after not-so-great showings,” Draisaitl told reporters Thursday. “We’re all looking forward to tonight. We’re a team that responds really well after not-so-great games.”
The Oilers have proven they can win series after falling behind. The club was down 2-0 to the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1 and lost the opening game of the Western Conference Final. Both times they strung together four straight wins.
Edmonton also trailed 3-0 to the Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final before crushing Florida 8-1 in Game 4. The Oilers then won two more games to force a Game 7.
The team is 18-2 in Games 4-7 over the past two seasons.
“It’s all experience, right? You go through this run last year where we were under pressure for a lot of games. You just get comfortable in those situations knowing that you play one good game, you find a way to get a win on the road, and you go home and the series is tied,” Draisaitl said. “We know it’s going to be hard. … But with experience, you just learn in these moments that all you need is one game right now.”
Draisaitl has been productive throughout these playoffs. The 29-year-old has notched 10 goals and 19 assists in 19 games while averaging 22:38 of ice time.
He scored the power-play goal in overtime of Game 1 of this Stanley Cup Final.
The Oilers looked to even the series when the puck dropped Thursday at 8 p.m. ET in Sunrise, Florida.
