Edmonton superstar Leon Draisaitl opened up about his opinion regarding the antics in Game 3 of the Oilers-Panthers Stanley Cup Final series on Monday night.
The game got out of hand in the third period, with a battle royale breaking out on the ice. Midway through the period, every player on the ice found a dance partner, leading to an all-out brawl.
Draisaitl, addressing the media on Tuesday’s availability, broke his silence on the brawl. The Oilers center had this to say:
“That’s part of their DNA. That’s, that’s what they do. I think there’s spurts in the series where we’ve handled it really well.”
Throughout the Oilers-Panthers series, the Oilers have matched the Panthers’ intensity in physicality. Unfortunately, his team became unraveled in the final frame, leading to a total of 85 penalty minutes on the night.
Leon Draisaitl added:
“Last night is, I mean, it’s the game is over with 11 minutes left, right, like, whatever it is, and then, you know, all hell breaks loose. It’s a UFC fight. But, like, I think overall, we can be a little bit more disciplined and stay away from that.”
Check out Draisaitl’s comments from the 4:25 mark on:
The mayhem led to three players on each side getting game misconducts for the battle on the ice.
As for Draisaitl, he managed to steer clear of the brouhaha. However, he didn’t see much of the ice in the second half of the third period as the game had gotten out of control both in terms of discipline and the score.
Draisaitl, McDavid shut down in Oilers-Panthers showdown in Game 3
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were uncharacteristically absent from the scoresheet in the Oilers-Panthers matchup in Game 3.
McDavid ended the night with 20:51 of ice time and a minus-1 rating across 24 shifts. He notched two shots on goal.
Meanwhile, Draisaitl hit the ice for 20:27 across 21 shifts, failing to get a shot on goal and ending the night with a minus-2 rating.
The unusual lack of scoring from the Oilers’ two biggest stars has been largely due to the solid checking from the Panthers. Playing on home ice allowed Paul Maurice to use the last line change to seek more favorable matchups.
It seems the move worked as the Panthers were able to shut down McDavid and Draisaitl in Game 3.
However, there’s no telling how much longer the Panthers would be able to keep McDavid and Draisaitl under wraps. Both stars are known for taking games over in the blink of an eye. That’s why Game 4 of the Oilers-Panthers Stanley Cup Final series will be crucial for both sides as a Panthers win would put the Oilers in another seemingly unsurmountable hole like the one they faced last spring.
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Edited by Nestor Quixtan
