Leon Draisaitl Perfectly Explained How Oilers Fought Back to Win Game 4 vs. Panthers

There's no quit in the 'resilient' Oilers.
Draisaitl scored yet another game-winning goal in overtime for the Oilers in Game of the Stanley Cup Final.
Draisaitl scored yet another game-winning goal in overtime for the Oilers in Game of the Stanley Cup Final. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

After facing a 3-0 deficit by the end of the first period, the Edmonton Oilers stormed back to tie the game, and eventually, win it 5-4 in overtime on yet another game-winning goal by star forward Leon Draisaitl in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. In doing so, the Oilers also wrote their names into the history books, as they became the first team to mount a comeback after being down 3-0 after the first period.

So how did they do it?

Draisaitl, speaking to Sportsnet's Gene Principe after the victory, summed it up best.

"That's what we do," Draisaitl said. "We're a resilient group. We're never going to quit no matter what, so we'll take it and go home."

A no-quit mindset certainly doesn't hurt, but it also helps that the Oilers employ Draisaitl, who is etching his name among the most clutch playoff performers in Stanley Cup playoffs history. His four overtime goals this postseason are the most in a single Stanley Cup playoffs all-time.

And his impact has stretched beyond the ice as well.

After the Oilers' 6-1 Game 3 loss, a cool, calm and collected Draisaitl encouraged his teammates to remain "positive", reminding them how quickly the momentum could shift back in Edmonton's favor with a victory in Game 4, according to The Athletic.

And that's exactly how things played out. The series returns to Rogers Place in Edmonton for Game 5 on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET.


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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.