Leon Draisaitl’s Overtime Heroics Seal Game 2 Win as Oilers Rally to Take Commanding 2-0 Series Lead Over Vegas

Leon Draisaitl’s knack for the dramatic was on full display again Wednesday night, as the Edmonton Oilers’ star forward buried the game-winning goal in sudden death overtime to lift his team to a 5-4 comeback win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of their Western Conference Semifinal series. With the victory, Edmonton has now won six straight games and holds a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series as it shifts to Rogers Place for Games 3 and 4.

The Oilers trailed by two goals in the second period but clawed back thanks to persistent forechecking, a timely power-play conversion, and relentless offensive pressure spearheaded by the team’s dynamic duo of Draisaitl and captain Connor McDavid. The game had the feeling of a classic postseason battle from the opening puck drop, and it delivered all the emotion, intensity, and fireworks expected from two teams with Stanley Cup aspirations and no shortage of playoff history.

Draisaitl, who now has seven goals in the series and 12 in the playoffs, continued his torrid postseason run with a snipe just 2:32 into overtime, snapping a wrist shot over the blocker of Vegas goaltender Adin Hill after taking a perfectly placed cross-ice feed from Evan Bouchard on a 2-on-1 rush. The play developed after Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm intercepted a stretch pass in the neutral zone and quickly transitioned the puck up ice, catching the Golden Knights in a partial line change.

As the puck found Draisaitl’s stick, the entire Oilers bench rose in anticipation, sensing what was coming next. The German center didn’t disappoint. With a quick stride and a subtle shoulder fake, he froze Hill for just a split second before launching the puck into the top corner of the net, igniting a wild celebration on the ice and in the stands of T-Mobile Arena that had been half-muted by the traveling Oilers fans.

“Just a great play by Bouch,” Draisaitl said after the game. “He recognized the space, made the right read, and I just had to finish. Those are the moments you dream of, and the kind of moments we live for in the playoffs.”

Draisaitl’s goal punctuated a wild third period that saw Edmonton rally from a 4-2 deficit, with goals by McDavid and Zach Hyman just over three minutes apart midway through the frame. The tying goal, scored by Hyman at 11:36 of the third, came on the power play and showcased the Oilers’ lethal man-advantage unit, which leads the NHL in power-play percentage this postseason.

After the equalizer, Edmonton kept pushing, peppering Hill with shots and controlling possession in the offensive zone. Vegas, meanwhile, seemed rattled by the sudden shift in momentum and struggled to generate clean breakouts. Despite a frantic final few minutes of regulation that included quality chances for both teams, the game went to overtime with the score knotted at 4-4.

That set the stage for Draisaitl’s heroics — and for Edmonton’s sixth straight playoff victory, a run that began with them trailing the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in their opening-round series. Since then, the Oilers have been the most dangerous team in the tournament, blending elite top-line production with improving defensive discipline and steady goaltending from Stuart Skinner.

Skinner, who made 27 saves in the win, was particularly sharp in the first period, when the Golden Knights came out with speed and physicality. Vegas opened the scoring just 4:08 into the game on a rebound goal by Chandler Stephenson, and they doubled the lead late in the period after a defensive miscue by the Oilers led to a breakaway finish by Jonathan Marchessault.

Down 2-0, Edmonton needed a spark — and got one early in the second period from Draisaitl, who beat Hill short-side on a sharp-angle shot that seemed to catch the Vegas netminder off guard. The goal cut the lead in half and injected life into the Oilers’ bench, though Vegas would answer minutes later with a power-play marker of their own by Jack Eichel.

Still, Edmonton never wilted. A rebound goal by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins late in the second made it 3-2 and gave the Oilers belief heading into the third. After Mark Stone restored the two-goal cushion for Vegas with a wrist shot early in the final period, McDavid responded almost immediately with a brilliant solo effort, weaving through three Golden Knights defenders and roofing a backhand to make it 4-3.

“We never feel like we’re out of it,” McDavid said. “Even when things aren’t going our way, we know what we’re capable of. Everyone in this room believes, and that’s the most important thing this time of year.”

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch echoed that sentiment, praising his team’s poise and competitive fire.

“There’s a calmness in the group, but there’s also an edge — a belief that we can turn the game around at any moment,” Knoblauch said. “That comes from our leaders, guys like Connor and Leon setting the tone. Tonight was another great example of that.”

For the Golden Knights, the loss was a crushing blow after they had controlled large portions of the game. Head coach Bruce Cassidy lamented his team’s inability to manage the puck and close out the game after building two-goal leads on two separate occasions.

“You have to find a way to finish those games,” Cassidy said. “We let them hang around too long, and when you give that team — with that much firepower — extra chances, they’re going to make you pay.”

Vegas now finds itself in a precarious position heading north for two games in Edmonton, where the Oilers boast one of the league’s most intimidating playoff atmospheres. Rogers Place is expected to be electric on Friday night as fans welcome their red-hot team back home.

Draisaitl’s game-winner marked his third career playoff overtime goal and moved him into elite company in the Oilers’ postseason record books. With 12 goals in eight games, he’s now tied for the franchise record for most goals in the first two rounds of a single playoff year — matching Jari Kurri’s total from the 1985 Stanley Cup run.

Yet despite his individual brilliance, Draisaitl deflected praise and emphasized the team’s focus on the bigger goal ahead.

“This is all about winning — it’s not about me or any one guy,” Draisaitl said. “We’ve got a special group here, and we’re just trying to keep pushing, keep getting better every game.”

The Oilers will look to do just that in Game 3 on Friday night, with puck drop set for 9:00 p.m. ET. For now, though, Edmonton can enjoy the sweet taste of another road win and the knowledge that they’re just two victories away from a trip to the Western Conference Final.

And if they keep getting moments like this from Leon Draisaitl, they may not be done climbing.