Draisaitl equalizes with Oilers in NHL semifinals
The Edmonton Oilers, led by German ice hockey star Leon Draisaitl, have equalized the semifinal series in the NHL at 2:2 after their first home victory over the Dallas Stars. After a 3:5 home defeat, the Oilers defeated the Stars 5:2 (2:2, 2:0, 1:0) on Wednesday (local time). The best-of-seven series now moves back to Dallas, where the fifth game will take place on Friday (local time). The first team to win four times will advance to the final series of the North American ice hockey league.
After Draisaitl had not been involved in a goal in the last two games, the Cologne native scored again and scored the 4-2 lead at the end of the second period. With ten goals in the playoffs, he has scored the second most goals in the NHL behind teammate Zach Hyman. Draisaitl is the first Oilers player since Esa Tikkannen in 1990 and 1991 to score at least ten times in two consecutive playoff seasons.
“In the third game, we got off to a good start – and we still lost,” said Oilers captain Connor McDavid, referring to the previous home defeat, when Edmonton lost despite leading 2-0. “This time, it was the other way round. Each of us fought, and this is an important win.”
Dallas misses first chance to reach NBA finals
The Dallas Mavericks still have to worry about making it into the final series for the championship of the North American basketball league NBA. With a 100:105 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday (local time), the Mavericks missed out on the decisive fourth victory in the finals of the Western Conference after three previous victories. With their first victory in the series, the Timberwolves forced a fifth game at home on Friday night. The Boston Celtics have already been confirmed as champions in the East and the first finalist.
“This game is on me. I just didn’t give enough energy,” said Mavericks star Luka Doncic. The Slovenian managed a so-called triple double with double-digit values in three statistical categories with 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. But Doncic didn’t do enough in the final phase this time. However, he also emphasized: “They won a game. We just have to concentrate on the next one.”
Doncic, like Dallas’ other star Kyrie Irving, only made a third of his shots, meaning Irving only scored 16 points. German professional Maximilian Kleber returned after a break of several weeks due to a shoulder injury, played more than 13 minutes and scored two points. For Minnesota, which had squandered leads in the first few games, Anthony Edwards stood out with 29 points and Karl-Anthony Towns with 25 points.
The final series begins on June 6 in Boston. The Mavericks want to become champions for the second time after 2011, when Dirk Nowitzki led the team from Dallas to the title.
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