Despite another hit from young ice hockey star Leon Draisaitl (22), the Edmonton Oilers have continued their negative run in the NHL and are losing sight of the play-offs.
The Canadians lost 4-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights and it was their fifth consecutive defeat.
With 50 points from 56 games, Edmonton is now 18 points behind a wildcard ticket in the West. Draisaitl scored in the 53rd minute. minute its 17th Seasonal hit.
It went much better for Philipp Grubauer, the national goalkeeper. The keeper was on the ice for over 60 minutes in the 5-2 win over Minnesota Wild in his Washington Capitals against Minnesota Wild and now has 73 points on his team. Defense defender Dennis Seidenberg (19 minutes ice age) also clinched his next victory at the 3-0 with his New York Islanders against the New York Rangers and is 62 points behind in the race for a wildcard at the Eastern Conference.
Defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins meanwhile won 3-1 against the Los Angeles Kings without the injured German national team player Tom Kühnhackl and with 70 points from 59 games in the East is clearly on play-off course. The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3:2 without Korbinian Holzer, but had to fear for the wildcard ticket in the West with 67 points.
Arizona Coyote’s defeated league final spot in the West brought a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadians, also thanks to Tobias Rieder. The striker scored his eighth goal of the season and also contributed an assistant.
Minnesota Wild – Washington Capitals 2:5 (Boxscore)
Chicago Blackhawks – Anaheim Ducks 2:3 (Boxscore)
Arizona Coyotes – Montreal Canadiens 5:2 (Boxscore)
Vegas Golden Knights – Edmonton Oilers 4:1 (Boxscore)
San Jose Sharks – Vancouver Canucks 4:1 (Boxscore)