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Draisaitl believes his play got better after injury in playoffs

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Brennen Beaudin
August 25, 2022  (10:29 PM)
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Leon Draisaitl recently opened up about how his injury in the playoffs made him into a better player.

The superstar forward suffered a high ankle sprain in Game 6 during the first round against the Los Angeles Kings, and the injury "evolved" his play.

"The game after, I was trying to push off and I just had no pop, no jump," the superstar said during an interview on Sportsnet's 32 Thoughts: The Podcast. "I was getting frustrated with it because I was like, 'I can't beat guys, I don't know what to do now.' ... I just had to change my game a little bit, slow it down even more, if that's even possible."

"It kind of showed me that there's a way that I can become better, in a way, with doing almost less. [] When you're healthy, you try and play your best, you try and play with speed, you try and play fast."

"I didn't have that to my game, so I tried to find a way to be productive in a different way. I thought I did a pretty good job of that."

After he suffered the injury, he had an incredible run recording two goals and 22 assists in just 10 games. He almost took on a prime Joe Thornton kind of style, and it turned out quite well for the 26-year-old.

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