As the Edmonton Oilers fight to keep their Stanley Cup dreams alive in Sunrise on Tuesday, they’ll go into Game 6 knowing that they have one of the most clutch scorers in the game on their side.
While he didn’t previously have this tool in his toolkit, Leon Draisaitl has developed a knack for scoring in overtime in these playoffs. His sudden-death winners in Games 1 and 4 against the Florida Panthers put him in a group of just five players in NHL history to score multiple overtime goals in the Stanley Cup Final. His shots also ended Game 4 of Round 1 against the Los Angeles Kings and Game 2 of Round 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights, making his four overtime goals in 2025 an all-time record for a single post-season.
Nobody has ever scored more in playoff overtime than Joe Sakic. The Hockey Hall of Famer and current president of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche ended eight games in extra time for the team during his 20-year playing career.
In just two months, Draisaitl has gotten himself halfway to that benchmark. At age 29, about to start his eight-year contract extension next season, he still has a lot of hockey ahead of him.
Points have always come easily to the big German, who won the Art Ross Trophy in 2020 and just logged his fourth 50-goal NHL season in his 11-year career. His 52 goals, in only 71 games played in 2024-25, earned him his first Rocket Richard trophy. He’s one of just four active players with multiple 50-goal campaigns, along with Alex Ovechkin (nine), and Auston Matthews and Steven Stamkos (two each).
For Draisaitl, it’s not just how many, but when. Eleven of his 52 goals this year were game-winners, tying Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets. Of those, a league-leading six came in overtime.
Zoom out, and the trend holds. Since his first full season in 2015-16, Draisaitl leads the NHL with 19 overtime goals, and his 71 game-winners in that time are second only to his best bud Connor McDavid (72)
Despite Saturday’s 5-2 setback, Draisaitl and McDavid are currently tied for the 2025 playoff scoring lead, each with 33 points in 21 games. Draisaitl’s 11 goals are the most on the Oilers and second only to Sam Bennett (15) in the 2025 playoffs.
McDavid carries the reputation as the league’s slickest skater, but Draisaitl is no slouch. Look at his NHL Edge stats for the playoffs, and you’ll see that his ability to generate bursts of high speed is right up with the very best — and that he does it often. And while Draisaitl doesn’t possess a particularly hard shot, he shoots often — and is uncannily accurate.
A statistical analysis shows that’s because he has been able to get into high-danger areas, where his odds of success are greater. When he’s there, he increases his chances of success with a quick release that catches goalies off guard, not in optimal position.
Over the last three playoffs, Draisaitl has produced 34 goals and 82 points in 58 games. Those are massive numbers during the toughest hockey of the year. He’s seven goals ahead of second-place Bennett and second in points behind McDavid. Matthew Tkachuk is the highest-ranking non-Oiler, at 68 points.
This spring, Carter Verhaeghe has added three more game-winning goals to bring his career total to 10. That list includes three straight winners to close out the Washington Capitals in 2022 and, most dramatically, the Game 7 OT dagger against Boston in 2023.
For all of Bennett and Brad Marchand’s heroics in these playoffs, Verhaeghe retains the title of Florida’s ‘Captain Clutch’ — and could very well have more tricks up his sleeve.
If the Panthers have one weakness, it’s closing out a playoff series. In the 2024 final, of course, they let the Oilers off the mat from a 0-3 deficit and extended the proceedings all the way to Game 7. This year, they needed two tries to eliminate both the Toronto Maple Leafs, after going up 3-2 in the second round, and the Carolina Hurricanes after taking a 3-0 lead in the conference final.
That leaves the door open for Edmonton, just a crack.
In the next week, legends will be made and reputations will be secured. For the Oilers, their best chance to bring the series back to Rogers Place and potentially capture Canada’s first Cup since 1993 likely lives on the sneaky stick of Leon Draisaitl.
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