EDMONTON, Alberta — Center Leon Draisaitl scored twice in a 6-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, adding another night to remember in an Edmonton Oilers‘ season full of offensive milestones.
Draisaitl’s effort gave him 100 points for the season, and NHL scoring leader Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist in the win, pushing the All-Star center to 129 points. And for just the second time in NHL history, the same teammates were the first two players to land at 100 points in consecutive seasons.
“I thought the best player on the ice tonight was Leon Draisaitl … by a country mile,” Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said.
Draisaitl pushed his season goals total to 44, and McDavid, the Edmonton captain, had his 73rd assist on Draisaitl’s second goal and scored into an empty net with 2:13 left for his 56th goal.
“I thought he played the game like he was on a mission,” Woodcroft said of Draisaitl. “I think he was 70% in the faceoff circle, he had a good conscience about him the entire game in terms of both sides of the puck, and I think when he plays in the middle, he really gets his feet moving.”
100 FOR LEON! 💯
Leon Draisaitl becomes the second player to hit the century mark this season, joining teammate Connor McDavid (@cmcdavid97). 🫡 pic.twitter.com/dNNCb8Wfle
— NHL (@NHL) March 15, 2023
As is often the case, though, Draisaitl was subdued in the locker room after the performance.
“I feel very fortunate,” Draisaitl said. “Obviously, I’m very happy about it, but this is my job, this is what I get paid to do. And I couldn’t do it without any of these guys in here.”
The last two-season run in which teammates were the first players to 100 points in the NHL was 1973-74 and 1974-75, when Hockey Hall of Famers Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr did so for the Boston Bruins.
“For those guys to be in the company of those Boston Bruins, Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr, those are two good names to be associated with,” Woodcroft added.
Derek Ryan, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nick Bjugstad also scored for the Oilers, and Stuart Skinner made 29 saves.
Tim Stutzle scored twice for Ottawa, giving him 34 for the season. Brady Tkachuk added his 27th goal, and Mads Sogaard stopped 27 shots. Ottawa has lost three in a row.
Nugent-Hopkins gave the Oilers a 3-2 lead on a power play at 5:39 of the second period. He has 31 goals this season.
Bjugstad struck with a second to go in the period for Edmonton, as well. But the night belonged to Draisaitl, who made it 4-2 with 3:43 left in the period.
“He’s hockey sense personified,” Woodcroft said. “He’s the definition of what the modern-day power forward looks like, or should look like.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.