If a player could claim the Conn Smythe as early as the second round, Leon Draisaitl would be a worthy winner.
The Edmonton Oilers superstar continued his goal-scoring binge Saturday night with two first-period tallies to set the tone in a commanding 5-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights and help even the second-round series at 1-1.
Draisaitl scored four goals in Edmonton's Game 1 loss, and his double dip on Saturday brings his total to 13 through eight playoff contests this spring. No player across the league has scored more than seven in this year's postseason, and no one topped 13 in all of last year's playoffs.
The 2020 MVP opened the scoring by cleaning up a rebound on the power play, then he converted a Kailer Yamamoto pass late in the opening frame.
GUESS WHO? 🤩
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 6, 2023
Leon Draisaitl capitalizes on the man advantage to open the scoring in Vegas. pic.twitter.com/jZjdHoCDD1
DOUBLE DOWN DRAISAITL. ✌️
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 6, 2023
The Golden Knights challenged the play for goalie interference, but the call stands as a good goal. pic.twitter.com/67SUBhuazj
Draisaitl's teammates are unsurprisingly in awe of his run.
"He's the best player in the world a lot of nights," captain Connor McDavid said after the win, according to Sportsnet.
"At this point, nothing surprises me (about) what he does," added blue-liner Evan Bouchard. "Put in another two tonight, 13 in eight games, it's something that doesn't happen very often, and like I said, doesn't surprise me that he's doing it."
The NHL record for goals in a single postseason is 19, set by Reggie Leach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1975-76 and equaled by Jari Kurri with the Oilers in 1984-85. Draisaitl's 13 goals are the most by any player within their first eight playoff games of a season, besting the 11 mark shared by Newsy Lalonde (1918-19) and Michel Goulet (1984-85), according to StatsCentre.
Draisaitl also became the fifth skater in league history to score five consecutive team goals in the playoffs, and he's the first player to score 13 times in any eight-game playoff span since Kurri did so in 1985 - the year Edmonton captured its second Stanley Cup.
Draisaitl's next chance to add to his torrid playoff pace comes Monday in Game 3 as the series shifts to Edmonton.
Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.