Draisaitl 'best player on the ice' for Oilers in Western 1st Round series

EDMONTON --Leon Draisaitl is off to a strong start in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Playing on two healthy legs certainly has helped the Edmonton Oilers center.
Draisaitl had a goal and two assists in a 4-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round at Rogers Place on Wednesday. Game 3 is at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Friday (10 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS, BSSC).
"He's playing amazing," Oilers forward Zach Hyman said Wednesday. "He's strong, physical, winning face-offs, doing all those little things and it all adds up. He's scoring goals and making plays. That's who he is, one of the best in the world. He's an elite player and he shows up at this time of year."
Draisaitl has five points (three goals, two assists) in the first two games of the best-of-7 series. He scored two goals in a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 1 on Monday.
He had 32 points (7 goals, 25 assists) in 16 games in the 2022 playoffs as the Oilers advanced to the Western Conference Final before swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.
RELATED: [Complete Oilers vs. Kings series coverage]
But Draisaitl played most of the postseason on a sprained right ankle, sustained in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round against the Kings when he was taken down by Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson in a scrum after a whistle.
"Yeah, I feel a lot better, especially my leg," Draisaitl said. "It's nice to feel this way. We had a tough couple of games here, but I'm feeling good, I'm healthy, and knock on wood hopefully it stays that way."
Because of the injury last season, Draisaitl was moved from center to left wing on a line with Connor McDavid, and he still was effective. Now he's able to center his own line to spread out the offense. Draisaitl and McDavid do still play together on the power play and combined for the Oilers' second goal Wednesday, with McDavid setting up Draisaitl.
"It's definitely a different game. I was a little limited in the playoffs last season with the injury," Draisaitl said. "I had to maneuver around that, but I feel good, I feel strong right now. Whether it's on the wing or center, it really doesn't matter to me, I pride myself in being able to play in every situation."

Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft utilizes Draisaitl in all situations. He played 21:17 in Game 2 and saw time on the power play and the penalty kill.
"I would say that's typical Leon Draisaitl minutes," Woodcroft said. "Our players have been conditioned to play those type of minutes, certainly specific people. I think he's been the best player on the ice through two games in the series, by far. He found a way to get things done in different ways and was a big reason we won the game tonight."
Draisaitl was second in the NHL during the regular season with 128 points (52 goals, 76 assists) in 80 games, behind McDavid (153 points). It was Draisaitl's third 50-goal season.
"When Leon's fully healthy, the guy's won a Hart Trophy (2020). His play speaks for itself," Woodcroft said. "He is a power forward in today's world, the modern-day type of power forward with elite skill. When he plays on the wing he's dangerous, and when he plays in the middle he's dangerous as well. It's a benefit for me as a coach to be able to move him around the lineup."
The Oilers played Game 2 with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Forward Mattias Janmark sustained an undisclosed injury blocking a shot during Game 1 and was out for Game 2. His status is uncertain for the rest of the series.
Draisaitl and McDavid took turns centering the fourth line between Derek Ryan and Klim Kostin, each of whom scored in Game 2. Draisaitl assisted on Ryan's opening goal, 2:34 into the first period.
"I don't know how many minutes I played to be honest," Draisaitl said. "We're going to miss 'Janny' for a little bit here, he's a really valuable player for our team that plays a lot of important minutes in important situations for us. So we're going to miss him first of all, but I think every single guy in the dressing room is ready for whatever ice time he's going to get and he's going to do it the right way and do it with pride."