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Leon Draisaitl was arguably the very best participant within the Nationwide Hockey League through the 2024-25 common season, therefore him being voted one of many three Hart Trophy finalists. That robust play has continued on into the playoffs, the place he emerged as a defensive stopper in opposition to Jack Eichel’s line in Edmonton’s 4-1 second-round stomping of the Vegas Golden Knights.
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However with Draisaitl, it’s all the time greatest to count on the sudden.
Draisaitl went from having one of many worst video games of his profession when he was a main wrongdoer on three targets in opposition to in Sport Three, together with VGK’s final second winner, the place Draisaitl kicked off the Sequence of Ache with some slack backchecking up ice, then ended it by deflecting a wayward shot into his personal internet.
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It was no shock to see Draisaitl rebound brilliantly in Video games 4 and 5 from the down efficiency. It was stunning to see him do it not by scoring however by backchecking furiously and shutting down all attackers within the Oil’s defensive slot. He capped it off in additional regular trend by taking part in an enormous half within the successful purpose, establishing Darnell Nurse’s exterior shot that Kasperi Kapanen fought to jam house.
However there’s one thriller about Draisaitl this 2025 playoff season that’s unresolved. He led all gamers in scoring this yr in no small half as a consequence of his make use of of the NHL’s deadliest weapon, his Executioner’s Shot, the place he will get down low, then drives ahead, one knee up, the opposite leg down on the ice, exploding right into a one-timer, lashing his stick and the puck ahead as if they’d chop off the goalie’s head.
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We began to trace shot kind on the Cult of Hockey in 2019-20 as a part of our Grade A shot venture largely to see should how typically Draisaitl fired such one-timers on internet — typically launching the puck from exterior the NHL’s conventional house plate Grade A photographs zone, a triangle from the face-off dots to the goalie posts within the o-zone — and the way typically they beat opposing goalies.
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What Bruce McCurdy and I discovered astonished us, that on common these photographs went in 34 per cent of the time when Draisaitl obtained them on internet. That makes these harpoons about thrice deadlier than the typical NHL shot.
We’re solely coping with a small pattern measurement within the 2025 playoffs, simply 11 video games, nevertheless it’s nonetheless noteworthy how little Draisaitl has been capable of get off his Executioner’s Shot on internet, simply six instances within the 11 video games, 0.55 per sport. That’s properly down from his 0.80 per sport common 2019-25.
At his peak within the 2023 playoffs he launched 1.08 per sport on internet, 13 in 12 video games, and scored on greater than half of them.
On the ability play within the ’25 playoffs solely as soon as has Draisaitl been capable of get off an Executioner’s Shot on internet. Simply as soon as. He’s normally ready to take action as soon as each second sport.
He’s scored three targets on harpoons within the playoffs, however he’s off his traditional tempo.
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What’s up?
Exhausting to know.
It could possibly be pure variance within the lifetime of an NHL scorer. However this isn’t Draisaitl failing to attain on his deadliest weapon. It’s him not with the ability to get off such photographs and/or get them on internet.
It could possibly be he’s obtained some harm that’s impacting the accuracy and energy of his shot.
It’s additionally potential that groups are bending over backwards, sideways, forwards, then backwards once more in an effort take away Draisaitl’s one-timer on the Edmonton energy play.
However the drop-off stays a thriller.
The excellent news? If harm is a matter, having virtually every week off will certainly assist him.
And Draisaitl remains to be a two-way beast in these playoffs, efficient on the assault and on defence.
If he’s absolutely wholesome, there’s no stopping him at playoff time. If his biggest weapon comes again to him, all the higher. If not, and if he can sustain this present excessive degree of two-way play, that’s OK too.
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