Frozen puck games or ice hockey - Draisaitl makes his debut in the NHL Finals alongside Edmonton.
The Edmonton Oilers, together with their star ice hockey player Leon Draisaitl from Germany, have made it to the finals in the NHL. With a 2:1 victory (2:0, 0:0, 0:1) against the Dallas Stars, they won the title of the Western Conference.
Draisaitl, a native of Cologne, has been with the Oilers since 2014. This season, he'll have the chance to compete in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time. The last time the Canadian team played in the league's final series was in the 2005/06 season.
"We've always known how great a team we really are," Draisaitl said about the finals. "We've worked hard and faced challenges this season, with many ups and downs."
The Oilers' journey to the finals was not an easy one. Initially, they had a rough start, winning only two out of their first eleven games, leading to the team's coach being replaced. Remarkably, they've become the third team in NHL history to reach the finals despite being ten points behind a playoff spot during the regular season.
In their sixth game against the Stars, the Oilers led with a 2:0 lead after the first period. Draisaitl assisted in McDavid's power play goal to give them the lead after just four minutes. Zach Hyman also scored during a power play. Edmonton's goalkeeper, Stuart Skinner, was only required to make saves in the middle of the third period, successfully deflecting 34 shots on his goal.
In the finals, the Oilers will play against the Florida Panthers, who made it to the finals last season but lost to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Panthers advanced to the finals with a 4:2 win over the New York Rangers during the semi-finals. The team from Florida has the advantage of playing at home due to their better record in the regular season, with the first game scheduled for Saturday in Sunrise.
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The Dallas Stars, an NHL team from the United States, faced challenges in their journey to the finals, ultimately falling short against the Edmonton Oilers. The Stanley Cup, the prestigious trophy in the NHL, is now within reach for the Oilers. Canada, Leon Draisaitl's home country, will be hoping for a Stanley Cup victory from their Edmonton Oilers representative. The Florida Panthers, a strong team from International ice hockey, will be the Oilers' opponents in the finals, aiming to correct their loss from last season's Stanley Cup finals against the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite being ten points behind a playoff spot during the regular season, the Edmonton Oilers have proven their resilience and determination, following in the footsteps of notable teams like Dortmund in making it to the finals against the odds.
