Hockey - Dracital confident ahead of playoff match with LA Kings

EDMONTON (AP) — NHL professional Leon Dracitel goes into the first playoff duel with the Los Angeles Kings with great confidence.

“What reassures me is our team and the fact that we are here. The best 16 teams are going to the playoffs and we are one of them,” the Edmonton Oilers attacker said ahead of the first game on Tuesday’s German night. ” 4:00 AM Clock / Sky) in a round with German journalists. “In the last two months, if I’m not mistaken, we’ve been in the top three teams in the entire league and have played very good ice hockey,” said the 26-year-old from Cologne.

“It will be an exciting long series that will demand a lot from both teams. Still, I like our chances,” said Driestel. Edmonton, as the second best team in the Pacific Division, have the advantage at home against the Kings. The team finished third with former national coach Marco Sturm on the coaching staff and have to start with two away games in Edmonton. Whoever gets the first four wins will advance to the second round of the playoffs.

Since Dracital’s side with the Oilers, the long-established Canadian team hasn’t had a good playoff period and has never progressed beyond the second round, although he and Conor McDavid are two of the league’s best players according to some experts. But the unrest in the city has not increased.

“I think there’s always a little bit of pressure to be successful in a Canadian city. We’ve done that for years,” Dreitel said. “I think the fans here in the 80s were too spoiled by success. But no one wants more players than us. We know what we are playing for here and we are going to bring back that time. I want to be a team.”

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