Oilers' Leon Draisaitl gets honest on team's recovery progress after crucial Game 3 win over Kings

After a crucial 7-4 victory in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers star forward Leon Draisaitl emphasized the steady recovery of several key players returning from injuries. The Oilers are confident that as this Western Conference first-round series continues, their level of play will only improve.

The mindset within the Oilers locker room is clear: extend the series against the Kings as long as possible. There is a firm belief that the longer this best-of-seven battle continues, the greater the advantage for Edmonton.

“Definitely,” Draisaitl said after Game 3, according to NHL.com. “We have lots of guys that hadn’t played a lot. The longer this goes, you could see [Trent Frederic] coming a little bit tonight, he had his legs going, [Evander Kane] is getting up to speed, and I’ll put myself into that group as well.”

The Oilers entered the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with several key players recovering from injuries. However, as the series against Los Angeles unfolds, the speed, strength, and timing of these players are steadily improving—a critical development for Edmonton’s postseason ambitions.

Edmonton benefits from growing momentum

This positive trend reflects the team’s adaptation to the intense pace of playoff hockey, a process that typically requires time for players returning from long layoffs. “Sometimes it takes a little bit because it’s intense hockey right off the bat,” Draisaitl noted. “We don’t have much time, but the longer we can drag it out, it’s obviously in our favor.”

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Oilers reaffirm confidence in their growth

Facing the prospect of a daunting 3-0 series deficit, Edmonton responded with urgency in Game 3. “Any time you trail 2-0 [in a series], you want to extend it as much as you can,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We knew there was going to be some rust for some of those guys coming back. Klingberg, there’s another guy to mention, hadn’t played very much and has really given us two good games, I believe.”

Knoblauch also praised the resilience of his returning players. “It’s not easy—not playing, not practicing, or practicing very little—and then stepping into an NHL playoff game where the intensity is so high,” he said. “But I’m very happy with those guys and, hopefully, which I anticipate, they can just continue to get better.”