National players Leon Draisaitl and Tim Stützle have once again demonstrated their strong form in the NHL – and at the same time set personal bests. For Nico Sturm, on the other hand, the season may end very soon. His sharks are eaten by a superstar in the capital.
Despite three goals from German national ice hockey player Leon Draisaitl, the Edmonton Oilers have suffered a defeat in the NHL. A day after a 6-3 home win, the Oilers lost 5-7 (1-2, 3-4, 1-1) at the Winnipeg Jets. Draisaitl gave Edmonton a 1-0 and 3-2 lead and equalized again to make it 4-4. But in the end the Jets prevailed.
The 27-year-old from Cologne was involved in at least one goal in the twelfth game in a row, scoring three goals in one game for the first time this season. Draisaitl also set an Oilers record with his 26th goal of the season while overman. Overall, he now has 41 goals and 55 assists this season.
Tim Stützle is also in impressive form. The 21-year-old attacker scored twice in his Ottawa Senators’ 5-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets and has 31 goals this season. For the first time in his NHL career, Stützle scored in four games in a row. “It feels pretty good,” he said. “Especially (because) I didn’t finish really well in my first few years. I play with real confidence.” With his 31 goals this season, Stützle is only the second German after Draisaitl to score more than 30 goals in an NHL season – and that in his third season in the world’s best ice hockey league, Draisaitl surpassed this mark for the first time in his fifth.
While the Senators remain in the running for the playoff spots with seven wins from the last ten games, Moritz Seider’s Detroit Red Wings are sliding into a crisis. The 1:4 against the New York Islanders was the fifth loss in a row. Seider played the Red Wings’ only goal.
Meanwhile, Nico Sturm scored in his San Jose Sharks’ 8-3 defeat of the Washington Capitals. Alexander Ovechkin scored twice for the Capitals, who now has 815 goals in his NHL career. Lukas Reichel, who has been back in the Chicago Blackhawks squad since Patrick Kane’s departure to the New York Rangers, recorded his third assist in the sixth game of the season in the 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators. JJ Peterka didn’t play a part in his Buffalo Sabers’ 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
