Edmonton's Stuart Skinner had to reach behind him three times. © APA / MATTHEW STOCKMAN

Without suspended McDavid: Oilers lose top game

The Edmonton Oilers narrowly lost the top game in the NHL against the Washington Capitals. A once again outstanding Leon Draisaitl was not enough for the Canadians.

22 January 2025

From: dpa/fop

Last year's finalists from Canada lost 2:3 in front of their home crowd against the league's best-scoring team. The Oilers therefore missed out on taking the lead in the Pacific Division from the Vegas Golden Knights. Nevertheless, Edmonton is still clearly on course for the playoffs.

Leon Draisaitl put Edmonton ahead after just three minutes with his 34th goal of the season, thus extending his lead in the scorers' list. However, Washington equalized in the first period and extended the lead to 3-1 with two more goals later in the game. Edmonton only managed to make it 2-3 in the final period through Corey Perry. Assist provider Draisaitl has a total of 71 points, only Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (74) has more.

Edmonton had to make do without its superstar Connor McDavid, who was suspended for three games by the league after a crosscheck against an opponent in the final seconds of the game against the Vancouver Canucks.