“Sweet 16”: Oilers are still one win away from the NHL record
Ice hockey star Leon Draisaitl is close to breaking the league record with the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL after another gala performance. The 4-1 win against the Nashville Predators was the 16th win in a row for the Canadians, just one shy of the historic record. However, the chance to jump to the top only comes on February 6th against champions Vegas Golden Knights; there will be a break beforehand because of the all-star game.
“Sweet 16” was the title of the game report on the NHL homepage. Because the Oilers, who started the season poorly, continue to chase the record set by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won 17 games in a row in the North American professional league in 1992/93. With 59 points, Edmonton is third in the Pacific Division and has a play-off spot.
“You need a lot of good games to get to that number,” said Draisaitl. It was “special” to achieve 16 wins. “It's an incredible run. We want to continue it,” emphasized the striker. Because Edmonton is “not in a position to take its foot off the gas”. The explanation for the problems at the start of the season was simple: “We knew we were a good team. But if self-confidence is lacking, that accounts for more than 50 percent.”
Cologne's Draisaitl scored the goal to make it 2-0 (32nd) at home in Rogers Place and prepared the goals from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to make it 1-0 (8th) and Zach Hyman to make it 2-0 (57th). The best scorer of the evening, however, was his strike partner Connor McDavid with three assists and one goal. Draisaitl improved his record to 23 goals and 34 assists.
“It always feels good to win a game, no matter how many in a row,” coach Kris Knoblauch said. The record is a media topic, but not one in the dressing room. “As boring as it may sound, we look from one game to the next and worry about our next opponent.”
John-Jason Peterka scored a brace in his Buffalo Sabers' 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks with his national team colleague Nico Sturm. They were goals number 17 and 18 of the season for the striker, Buffalo won after an early 0-2 deficit. Sturm remained without a scorer point.
Moritz Seider won 5-2 with the Detroit Red Wings against the champions from Las Vegas. The defender made it 2-0 and 3-2, and Seider now has 20 assists. Tim Stützle and the Ottawa Senators lost 7-2 to the New York Rangers after a 2-0 lead. Lukas Reichel lost 1-0 to the Calgary Flames with the Chicago Blackhawks.
James leads Lakers to double overtime win in NBA
LeBron James won the NBA superstar duel with Stephen Curry. James led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 145:144 (68:63, 118:118, 130:130) away win over the Golden State Warriors after double overtime on Saturday (local time). With 1.2 seconds left, James hit both of his free throw attempts to seal the win.
James totaled 36 points, 20 rebounds and twelve assists, marking his third triple-double this season and double-digit scores in three statistical categories. The Lakers star scored twelve points in the two overtime periods alone. On the other side, Curry shone with 46 points, hitting nine three-pointers. With a basket five seconds before the end of the fourth quarter, Curry saved the Warriors into overtime.
“Steph came to me after the game and said: How can this get any better?” said James about the duel between two superstars. “When I finish my career, I will be able to tell my grandchildren that I played against one of the best ever.”
Both top teams have not yet been able to convince this season: The Lakers are in ninth place in the Western Conference, the Warriors are three places behind and therefore outside the playoff places.
Basketball world champion Daniel Theis returned to his old place of work and won a 115:96 (55:39) win over the Boston Celtics with the Los Angeles Clippers. With 18 points, the center missed his personal season record by one point, and Theis also collected seven rebounds. With their fifth win in a row, the Clippers consolidated third place in the Western Conference.
Isaiah Hartenstein was also successful with the New York Knicks. After the center missed two games due to Achilles tendon problems, he returned to the floor in the home game against the Miami Heat. Hartenstein scored four points and six rebounds in the 125:109 (61:51) home win. The Knicks are undefeated in six games.
One day after his record performance of 73 points, Luka Doncic also played well in the home game against the Sacramento Kings. Despite a triple-double of 28 points, 17 assists and ten rebounds, the superstar could not prevent the score being 115:120 (49:63). The Texans suffered their third home defeat in a row.
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