Enlarge image
Leon Draisaitl (right), against Jakob Silfverberg, already has 23 goals this season
Photo:
Jae C. Hong / dpa
National ice hockey player Leon Draisaitl scored a particularly nice goal in the Edmonton Oilers' 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks in the North American NHL league.
The man from Cologne scored on Wednesday evening (local time) in the penultimate minute of the second period to make it 6:1 by directing the puck into the box with the bat between his own legs and behind his body.
"That instinctively read the situation, very nice pass and luckily it worked," said the 27-year-old of the German Press Agency.
The 23rd goal of the season did not have a major impact on the game, the Oilers had already dominated the weak Ducks almost effortlessly.
"There were a few shaky situations at the back, but otherwise we won it confidently and deservedly so," said Draisaitl.
After the first third it was 4:1 for the Canadians, who had only won one of the five games before and urgently needed the points in the fight for the playoff places in the NHL.
Draisaitl criticizes the lack of consistency
Halfway through the season, Draisaitl was not particularly satisfied and emphasized that the most important thing was to qualify for the playoffs in the first place.
'Bit inconsistent, too many inconstant weeks.
It's very tight in the table, of course, so we have to start now to get a few points and a few wins in a row," he said.
"We don't have to change much offensively, defensively I think we have to make sure that we get out of our own zone a little faster.
If we spend less time there, we give up fewer chances.«
Draisaitl has played for the Oilers of the NHL since 2014.
Since then he has scored 277 goals and 402 assists.
In 2020, the man from Cologne was the first German to be voted the most valuable player in the league.
Despite the outstanding performances of Draisaitl and his strike partner Connor McDavid, it has not yet been enough to win the title.
kjo/dpa
