Draisaitl: 'Our best beats anyone's best' when we sustain it

Leon Draisaitl is confident that his Edmonton Oilers are better than any opponent when they play at their peak - as long as they can sustain it.

"I truly believe that our best beats anyone's best, it's just a matter of consistently playing that way and that's ... a hard thing to do," the superstar told reporters Friday, hours before Game 5 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars in Texas.

Draisaitl has been largely satisfied with the Oilers' performance in the series against a versatile Stars squad.

"They obviously defend well. They're a deep team," the German forward said. "They've got threats on every line. I think for the most part, we've done a pretty good job, maybe giving up a couple too many odd-man looks headed our way, but I think we've adjusted well and (we're) looking to take another step (Friday night)."

Draisaitl ranks second in playoff scoring this spring with 10 goals (behind teammate Zach Hyman's 13) and 26 points (behind Connor McDavid's 28) in 16 contests. Six of Draisaitl's tallies came on the power play, but neither Edmonton nor Dallas has produced a goal with the man advantage over four games in this matchup.

The series is tied 2-2, with Game 5 scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.

Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.