Draisaitl: Oilers 'can play better' in Game 2

Despite being pleased with the Edmonton Oilers' effort in their Game 1 loss, superstar Leon Draisaitl believes his club can bring more to the table in Monday's clash against the Florida Panthers.

"We're a really good hockey team that, believe it or not, can play better than (Saturday) night," Draisaitl said Sunday. "We have more. We know that. We can play better. They're going to be better, and I expect us to be better as well."

Edmonton outshot Florida 32-18 to open the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday, but Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky stole the show with a shutout. The Oilers also commanded 57.14% of scoring chances and 62.77% of expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick, but couldn't find the back of the net.

"We played a good game," he said. "Created a lot of good looks for ourselves, especially in the first two periods. Obviously, their goalie had a great night. Those things happen sometimes. But I think if we can do more of the same, more often than not, I think we're giving ourselves a really good chance to win hockey games."

The Oilers have only lost consecutive contests once so far these playoffs - Games 2 and 3 in the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars. Edmonton rallied for three straight wins afterward to seal the series.

Puck drop for Game 2 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Monday.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.