Leon Draisaitl's Olympic journey hit a roadblock at the Milano Cortina Games. The Edmonton Oilers star saw his first Olympic run come to an end as Germany fell 6-2 to Slovakia in the quarter-finals. It was a tough blow for a German squad aiming for a medal in Italy.
Draisaitl didn't shy away from expressing his frustration post-game, speaking candidly to German reporters about the sting of their exit.
“There were simply too many mistakes. In a game like this, you have to give yourself as long as possible a chance to win at some point. We didn’t do that at all,” he said, reflecting on the team's performance.
The game started with Germany trailing just 1-0 after the first period, but things unraveled in the second. Slovakia unleashed a barrage of goals, netting three, including two in a rapid 33-second span, pushing their lead to 4-1 by the end of the period.
Lukas Reichel and Frederik Tiffels managed to find the net for Germany, but it wasn't enough to turn the tide.
For Oilers fans, the loss meant missing out on a potential clash between Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, as a win would have set up a semi-final showdown with Team Canada.
Despite the early exit, Draisaitl's Olympic performance was impressive. He led Germany in scoring with two goals and seven points, including an assist in the Slovakia game. This put him seventh in Olympic scoring, ahead of notable names like Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, and Sidney Crosby.
With Draisaitl out, McDavid remains Edmonton's sole hope for bringing an Olympic medal back to Alberta.