Germany’s hunt for Olympic glory has come to an end.

They squared up against Slovakia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, falling 6-2, where Edmonton Oilers players Leon Draisaitl and Josh Samanski were largely held in check. Slovakia got a 1-0 lead with less than two minutes to go in the first period, and never looked back.

They would add a pair more in the second, before it was Leon Draisaitl setting up Lukas Reichel with a second left in the period to get Germany on the board. Slovakia extended their lead to 5-1 six minutes into the third period, and a minute later, Samanski would end up in the penalty box for playing without a helmet.

Germany would score a power play goal with 11 minutes left to cut it to 5-2, as Draisaitl’s childhood friend Frederik Tiffels, would find twine, but it was too little too late. The Slovaks would add an empty-net goal that punched their ticket to the semi-finals.

Draisaitl, who was named Germany’s captain and was his country’s flagbearer at the opening ceremony, led the charge offensively, scoring two goals and seven points in five games. According to HockeyStats, he also paced his team in shots on goal, slot shots and inner slot shots.

His play helped carry the German team, but he himself couldn’t do it all. The German team had some stars, in he, Tim Stutzle, JJ Peterka and defenceman Moritz Seider, as well as a solid goaltender in Philipp Grubauer, but the depth of the team, especially on the blue line, lacked.

Samanski, meanwhile, showed another level to his game, with a goal and an assist in five games. Both points came in their qualification game against France, setting up Draisaitl for a power play goal nearly four minutes into the game. His goal came seven minutes into the third period, set up by Draisaitl.

While he was assigned to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors ahead of the Olympics, there’s an argument that his play in Italy could land him a full-time role with the Oilers coming out of the break.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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