Oilers' Leon Draisaitl scores 50th goal of the season

EDMONTON Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl became the NHLs first 50-goal scorer this season Saturday, accomplishing the feat for the fourth time in his career.

He did it in dramatic fashion, too.

Draisaitl took a pass from Evan Bouchard and beat Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf off the rush from the right wing with 3:13 remaining in the third period to tie the score.

He then scored the winner at 2:25 of overtime to secure a 3-2 victory.

All that in his return to the lineup after a four-game absence due to an injury.

Advertisement Draisaitl also had an assist on the Oilers first goal Saturday, scored by linemate Viktor Arvidsson, to round out a 3-point game.

Draisaitl is third in NHL scoring with 104 points, five back of Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov.

Draisaitl is attempting to win his second Art Ross Trophy; he won it in 2019-20 to go along with a Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award.

Whether or not he claims the scoring title, Draisaitl is bound to win his first Rocket Richard Trophy.

After netting his 50th and 51st goals, Draisaitl has nine more goals than Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander.

Draisaitl scored exactly 50 goals for the first time in 2018-19.

He then surpassed the half-century mark in back-to-back seasons, recording 55 goals in 2021-22 and 52 in 2022-23.

He was the runner-up for the Rocket Richard the first two times he hit the 50-goal threshold.

This story will be updated.

(Photo of Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse: Andy Devlin / NHLI via Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.