US sports compact: After missing a record – Oilers back on the road to success

Draisaitl scored in the final third to make it 4-3, giving the Oilers the lead for the first time. He also contributed an assist. However, the outstanding player for the Canadians was Evander Kane with three goals. In addition, Draisaitl's congenial strike partner Connor McDavid provided three assists, including for the Cologne player's goal.

With 61 points, the Oilers are now clearly on course for the playoffs thanks to their outstanding form in recent weeks. With a win against Vegas on Monday evening (local time), the Oilers could have equaled the NHL record of 17 consecutive wins. The Pittsburgh Penguins have held this since the 1992/93 season.

Meanwhile, Lukas Reichel and the Chicago Blackhawks suffered a narrow defeat. Chicago, the league's worst team in points, lost 4-3 at home to the New York Rangers in overtime. Reichel remained without a goal in just under ten minutes of action.

The Boston Celtics remain in a class of their own in the North American professional league NBA. The record champions broke the 40-win mark in the 52nd game of the season on Friday evening (local time) with a 133:129 home win against the Washington Wizards. Boston continues to lead the NBA by a significant margin. No other team currently has more than 36 wins.

The outstanding players for the hosts were top stars Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis. While Tatum contributed 35 points, ten rebounds and eight assists, Porzingis had 34 points and eleven rebounds.

Meanwhile, the reigning champions Denver Nuggets suffered a surprisingly significant defeat. The Nuggets were defeated by the Sacramento Kings 106:135. For Denver it was the 17th defeat of the current season. Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic had 23 points for the Nuggets, who slipped to fourth place in the Western Conference.