While not confirmed by the team, many believe Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is gutting through an injury in the playoffs.

In the just-completed first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, the Edmonton Oilers ran the best roster players on the same line for 75 minutes at five-on-five. The total represented about 65 percent of the overall playing time for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the game state over the course of the series.

Connor McDavid broke free after 75 minutes of relative captivity to set up the game-winning goal by Leon Draisaitl at 15:20 that gave Edmonton a 5-4 win at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday. “Not our best, not my best, but we found a way,” the Oilers captain said. “We get paid to score goals in big moments and we found a way to do it tonight.”