Leon Draisaitl reached the 50-goal mark Saturday in the Battle of Alberta Saturday night with a big third-period goal against the Calgary Flames, as he returned to the lineup following a four-game absence.
The German superstar last played on March 18th against the Utah Hockey Club and was banged up in that tilt, missing the team’s next four contests with an undisclosed injury. He is the first player to hit 50 this season, as he continues to lead the chase for the Rocket Richard Trophy by a hefty margin despite his short stint out. The only other player who has even hit 40 this season is William Nylander, who currently sits second in scoring with 42. Draisaitl’s current point total of 103 puts him third in the league behind Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov.
It marks the fourth time the German star has hit the 50-goal mark in a season, after first doing it in 2018-19, as well as the third time he’s done it in the last four years. He is on track to just top his career-high of 55 goals scored in 2021-22, currently on pace for 56 this year. He has also hit 100 points for a sixth time this season, and sits just under 50 away from 1000 career points.
Draisaitl scored his 50th of the season without a single hat trick to pad the stats, and only one goalless drought longer than two games (he didn’t score for four consecutive contests in mid-January, but still picked up six points and had a two-goal game at the front and back of that stretch). Speaking to media before the team’s matchup against Utah earlier this month, head coach Kris Knoblauch had high praise for the Oilers’ assistant captain, talking about the consistency Draisaitl has shown this year and throughout his career:
Yeah, the season’s been remarkable and Leon’s always been one of the best players in the league. It’s been known, it’s not a secret, it’s not a breakout season this year. For him to be able to score at the rate that he has and there’s so many circumstances … It’s mostly 5-on-5, and he’s been able to do it with many wingers in many situations. Not having big, big games. It’s not like he’s had a three or four or five-goal game like sometimes happens with players who score at that rate. And no easy ones, you know? Empty net goals, I’m not sure he’s got an empty net goal. So, you know, it’s remarkable that he’s been able to do what he’s been doing this year. It’s remarkable, but it’s not surprising, because we know the quality of player that he is.
Despite signing a record-high contract worth $112 million last year, he’s showing no signs of settling in and getting too comfortable, as he continues to push himself hard as ever. With just nine more games remaining in the Oilers’ regular season schedule, Draisaitl is in the home stretch of locking down his first Rocket Richard and chasing his own career high.

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