<p>Now that we&#8217;re into the Christmas break, it&#8217;s a perfect time to take a look back at the year that was. Over the next few days, we&#8217;ll be counting down the most-viewed stories at Oilersnation of 2023.</p>
<p></p>
<p>While Leon Draisaitl may not make the most outlandish comments on a regular basis, instead saving his quips for special moments — ala &#8220;why are you so pissy?&#8221; — coming in at No. 8, we have a story about him being critical of the reffing against the LA Kings in last years playoffs.</p>
<p>This, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/leon-draisaitl-criticizes-reffing-in-series-with-kings-i-just-dont-really-know-what-the-standard-is-right-now">from after game three</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>Leon Draisaitl isn&#8217;t happy with the refs.</p>
<p>The Edmonton Oilers lost Game 3 of their first-round series with the Los Angeles Kings on Friday by a score of 3-2 in overtime.</p>
<p>Earlier in the game, the Oilers put themselves on top when Connor McDavid scored back-to-back power-play goals. Immediately after McDavid&#8217;s second goal, Draisaitl was handed a slashing penalty for giving Kings defenceman Drew Doughty a tap on his shin pads. The Kings would score on the subsequent power play to tie the game at 2-2.</p>
<p>After the game, <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1649653403784732672?s=20">Draisaitl sounded off on the referees</a> opting to call him for a light slash while ignoring Doughty throwing a knee-on-knee hit on McDavid&#8230;</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;We can definitely be smarter. I took a bad penalty there. That&#8217;s on me, but I&#8217;m not really sure what the standard is right now&#8230; You don&#8217;t call a clear knee-on-knee right in front of you, then you call a slashing penalty. It wasn&#8217;t smart by me, I know that. I just don&#8217;t really know what the standard is right now.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p>The clips from the game are below, but for those who don&#8217;t recall, this was a testy series between the two clubs. The Kings took game one in Edmonton with a 4-3 overtime win in a game where there were 20 penalty minutes handed out — all in the form of minor calls, with a pair being coinciding roughing penalties 7:53 into the game.</p>
<p>In game two, the Oilers roared back with a 4-2 win — a game that was much calmer from both sides, as no coincidental minor penalties were called, and just 10 PIM were handed out.</p>
<p>With the series tied <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-day-after-3-0-referee-show-dictates-la-kings-3-2-ot-win-over-edmonton-oilers">heading back to LA for game three</a>, things — as you will see below — escalated. A total of 13 two-minute calls were handed out for a wide assortment of things, from tripping to unsportsmanlike conduct to cross-checking and roughing. The disdain between the two clubs was apparent, doubly so considering this was the second year in a row they met in the first round of the playoffs. Nonetheless, it was a rough game for referees Kevin Pollock and Garrett Rank.</p>
<p>With the Kings winning that game in overtime, taking a 2-1 series lead, the Oilers themselves put together three very impressive games. They won game four in LA 5-4 in overtime to split the series, then took game five 6-3 at home. Back on the road for game six, the Oilers had a back-and-forth game with the Kings, and with the game deadlocked at 4 with just over three minutes left in the game, Kailer Yamamoto scored the game-winner to send the Oilers through to the second round.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">darnell nurse and viktor arvidsson&#39;s skates collide, sending the later through the air. nurse called for tripping, arvidsson is called for shooting a stick from just before this clip. <a href="https://t.co/xFt9JbrbhP">pic.twitter.com/xFt9JbrbhP</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649601982729166848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">now ekholm is off to the box for cross checking. <a href="https://t.co/XUDQJUfsIG">pic.twitter.com/XUDQJUfsIG</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649602991757082624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">looked a bit like it. <a href="https://t.co/1PoCywh8j4">https://t.co/1PoCywh8j4</a> <a href="https://t.co/hfO7zCX0Gt">pic.twitter.com/hfO7zCX0Gt</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649605153589460992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">vincent desharnais gets pulled out of this scrum for roughing. the referees in this series are continuing to try and be the main character and it&#39;s brutal to watch. <a href="https://t.co/tlb7BVHsRk">pic.twitter.com/tlb7BVHsRk</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649605843036536832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">alex edler goes knee-on-knee with warren foegele and gets called for tripping. <a href="https://t.co/x4THkePrk9">pic.twitter.com/x4THkePrk9</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649616896726278144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">with leon draisaitl in the box for this unsportsmanlike call, adrian kempe quickly scores to tie this game at 2. <a href="https://t.co/kDFbpm3v83">pic.twitter.com/kDFbpm3v83</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649618503601889280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">evander kane gets called for roughing, and drew doughty gets called for interference out of this collision. <a href="https://t.co/BeAtK0xC2B">pic.twitter.com/BeAtK0xC2B</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649620340665114624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">danault with a two-handed slash on mcdavid. no call. <a href="https://t.co/ZBo02hXKvP">pic.twitter.com/ZBo02hXKvP</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649632275154481153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">and then in overtime, the referees call this one a penalty against nugent-hopkins. <a href="https://t.co/XW8f5NCcLa">pic.twitter.com/XW8f5NCcLa</a></p>
<p>&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649643733254807552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h1>The full top 15</h1>
<ul>
<li>
<div class="pb-2"><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/top-stories-of-2023-no-15-oilers-done-after-adding-mattias-ekholm-and-nick-bjugstad-ahead-of-trade-deadline"><span class="text-3xl font-bold">No. 15: Oilers done after adding Mattias Ekholm and Nick Bjugstad ahead of trade deadline</span></a></div>
</li>
<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/top-stories-of-2023-no-14-ryan-mcleod-takes-less-money-to-help-the-oilers">No. 14: Ryan McLeod takes less money to help the Oilers?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/top-stories-of-2023-no-13-jordan-eberle-answers-the-bell-for-hit-that-injured-former-teammate-andrew-cogliano">No. 13: Jordan Eberle answers the bell for hit that injured former teammate Andrew Cogliano</a></li>
<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/top-stories-of-2023-no-12-jay-woodcroft-gets-ejected-from-penultimate-game-with-edmonton-oilers">No. 12: Jay Woodcroft gets ejected from penultimate game with Oilers</a></li>
<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/top-stories-of-2023-no-11-connor-mcdavids-early-season-struggles">No. 11: Connor McDavid’s early season struggles</a></li>
<li>
<div class="pb-2"><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/top-stories-of-2023-no-10-mike-stelter-father-of-late-edmonton-oilers-superfan-ben-diagnosed-with-cancer"><span class="text-3xl font-bold">No. 10: Mike Stelter, father of late Edmonton Oilers superfan Ben, diagnosed with cancer</span></a></div>
</li>
<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/2023/12/26/top-stories-of-2023-no-9-leon-draisaitl-ties-105-year-old-playoff-scoring-record/">No. 9: Leon Draisaitl ties 105-year-old playoff scoring record</a></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400">Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at</span></i> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400">@zjlaing</span></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400">, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.</span></i></p>
<hr />

Now that we're into the Christmas break, it's a perfect time to take a look back at the year that was. Over the next few days, we'll be counting down the most-viewed stories at Oilersnation of 2023.



While Leon Draisaitl may not make the most outlandish comments on a regular basis, instead saving his quips for special moments — ala "why are you so pissy?" — coming in at No. 8, we have a story about him being critical of the reffing against the LA Kings in last years playoffs.

This, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/leon-draisaitl-criticizes-reffing-in-series-with-kings-i-just-dont-really-know-what-the-standard-is-right-now">from after game three</a>:
<blockquote>Leon Draisaitl isn't happy with the refs.

The Edmonton Oilers lost Game 3 of their first-round series with the Los Angeles Kings on Friday by a score of 3-2 in overtime.

Earlier in the game, the Oilers put themselves on top when Connor McDavid scored back-to-back power-play goals. Immediately after McDavid's second goal, Draisaitl was handed a slashing penalty for giving Kings defenceman Drew Doughty a tap on his shin pads. The Kings would score on the subsequent power play to tie the game at 2-2.

After the game, <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1649653403784732672?s=20">Draisaitl sounded off on the referees</a> opting to call him for a light slash while ignoring Doughty throwing a knee-on-knee hit on McDavid...
<blockquote>"We can definitely be smarter. I took a bad penalty there. That's on me, but I'm not really sure what the standard is right now... You don't call a clear knee-on-knee right in front of you, then you call a slashing penalty. It wasn't smart by me, I know that. I just don't really know what the standard is right now."</blockquote>
</blockquote>
The clips from the game are below, but for those who don't recall, this was a testy series between the two clubs. The Kings took game one in Edmonton with a 4-3 overtime win in a game where there were 20 penalty minutes handed out — all in the form of minor calls, with a pair being coinciding roughing penalties 7:53 into the game.

In game two, the Oilers roared back with a 4-2 win — a game that was much calmer from both sides, as no coincidental minor penalties were called, and just 10 PIM were handed out.

With the series tied <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-day-after-3-0-referee-show-dictates-la-kings-3-2-ot-win-over-edmonton-oilers">heading back to LA for game three</a>, things — as you will see below — escalated. A total of 13 two-minute calls were handed out for a wide assortment of things, from tripping to unsportsmanlike conduct to cross-checking and roughing. The disdain between the two clubs was apparent, doubly so considering this was the second year in a row they met in the first round of the playoffs. Nonetheless, it was a rough game for referees Kevin Pollock and Garrett Rank.

With the Kings winning that game in overtime, taking a 2-1 series lead, the Oilers themselves put together three very impressive games. They won game four in LA 5-4 in overtime to split the series, then took game five 6-3 at home. Back on the road for game six, the Oilers had a back-and-forth game with the Kings, and with the game deadlocked at 4 with just over three minutes left in the game, Kailer Yamamoto scored the game-winner to send the Oilers through to the second round.

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649601982729166848

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649602991757082624

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649605153589460992

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649605843036536832

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649616896726278144

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649618503601889280

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649620340665114624

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649632275154481153

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1649643733254807552
<h1>The full top 15</h1>
<ul>
 	<li>
<div class="pb-2"><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/top-stories-of-2023-no-15-oilers-done-after-adding-mattias-ekholm-and-nick-bjugstad-ahead-of-trade-deadline"><span class="text-3xl font-bold">No. 15: Oilers done after adding Mattias Ekholm and Nick Bjugstad ahead of trade deadline</span></a></div></li>
 	<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/top-stories-of-2023-no-14-ryan-mcleod-takes-less-money-to-help-the-oilers">No. 14: Ryan McLeod takes less money to help the Oilers?</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/top-stories-of-2023-no-13-jordan-eberle-answers-the-bell-for-hit-that-injured-former-teammate-andrew-cogliano">No. 13: Jordan Eberle answers the bell for hit that injured former teammate Andrew Cogliano</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/top-stories-of-2023-no-12-jay-woodcroft-gets-ejected-from-penultimate-game-with-edmonton-oilers">No. 12: Jay Woodcroft gets ejected from penultimate game with Oilers</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/top-stories-of-2023-no-11-connor-mcdavids-early-season-struggles">No. 11: Connor McDavid’s early season struggles</a></li>
 	<li>
<div class="pb-2"><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/top-stories-of-2023-no-10-mike-stelter-father-of-late-edmonton-oilers-superfan-ben-diagnosed-with-cancer"><span class="text-3xl font-bold">No. 10: Mike Stelter, father of late Edmonton Oilers superfan Ben, diagnosed with cancer</span></a></div></li>
 	<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/2023/12/26/top-stories-of-2023-no-9-leon-draisaitl-ties-105-year-old-playoff-scoring-record/">No. 9: Leon Draisaitl ties 105-year-old playoff scoring record</a></li>
</ul>

<hr />

<i><span style="font-weight: 400">Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at</span></i> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400">@zjlaing</span></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400">, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.</span></i>

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