Oilers Center Named First Star of Week

The Edmonton Oilers' superstars continue to dominate the NHL.

Dec 3, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (29) skates against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

When Edmonton Oilers superstar center Leon Draisaitl is on, very few players, if any, can score at the rate he does.

Draisaitl was most certainly on this week. The former Hart Trophy winner scored nine points (three goals, six assists) in just three games, and most importantly, led the Oilers to three wins over likely playoff teams to show the NHL that they are all the way back.

First came a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, where Draisaitl scored one of Edmonton's goals and assisted on the other. Then came a 7-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, where he scored one goal and assisted on three others in a dominant performance against one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Finally, there was a 6-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, where he scored a goal and assisted on two others in a key divisional victory.

For his efforts, Draisaitl was named the NHL's first star of the week, earning yet another accolade throughout his illustrious career.

Leon Draisaitl (@EdmontonOilers), Nathan MacKinnon (@Avalanche) and Linus Ullmark (@Senators) have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” presented by GEICO for the week ending Dec. 15.#NHLStats: https://t.co/YJteed5D1L pic.twitter.com/P04pLsJP6v

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 16, 2024

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon was named the second star of the week after also scoring nine points (four goals, five assists) in three games. Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark, who posted a 0.99 goals against average and .967 save percentage in three games, was named the third star of the week.

After a stellar week, Draisaitl now has 45 points, including a league-leading 22 goals, in 30 games this season. In some ways, he's even outshining his teammate Connor McDavid, who is pretty much unanimously considered to be the best player in the league. If he keeps it up, there could be some more hardware in his future.

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