Fans furious after Draisaitl takes controversial hit from behind
Leon Draisaitl just took a hit from behind in Game 5 with the referee five feet away, and the only thing the league handed back was silence.
Jason Gregor lit up the play in real time. The Oilers Now host called it blatant, called the ref proximity unacceptable, and called the league's tolerance for these hits moronic. He's not wrong.
The German center is Edmonton's $14 million star sitting on 7 points across 4 playoff games.
The Oilers were already up 4-1 when the play happened. Vasily Podkolzin opened it 2:22 into the first. Zach Hyman tipped one home at 8:33. Draisaitl converted at 10:13 off Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid for the 3-0 lead.
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Then the second period started and the Ducks got Alex Killorn back at 8:26 to make it 3-1. Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier picked up the assists. Joel Quenneville's group found life.
Draisaitl restored the three-goal lead at 10:24 with his second of the game. McDavid and Bouchard combined again. The Oilers built a wall the Ducks needed to crash to break.
Then somebody decided crashing meant from behind, with the official watching, and nobody flagged anything.
Why this no-call sets a dangerous tone for the rest of the round
The 2026 playoffs have been defined by officiating moments. Wiped-out goals on offside reviews. Goalie interference rulings. Cross-checks to the head drawing minor penalties. And now hits from behind drawing nothing at all.
McDavid is in the lineup tonight at less than 100 percent on a sore ankle. The captain has 4 points in the series and a -6 rating.
Edmonton has been protecting him for four games. The league has not.
Draisaitl going into the boards from behind is the kind of play that ends a postseason run.
One bad bounce off the dasher and Edmonton is finishing this series with their backup center and a 50/50 captain.
Vasily Podkolzin has been quietly the third-best Oiler this round. The 24-year-old Russian came in with 4 points across 4 games and a +4 rating. He's outplaying his $1 million cap hit by miles.
Cutter Gauthier and Mason McTavish are the future of the Anaheim franchise. The 22-year-old Gauthier had 41 goals in the regular season. Joel Quenneville's group is built on speed, skill, and youth. They don't need to play the game from behind anyone.
Edmonton trailed this series 1-3 coming in. A win tonight forces Game 6 in Anaheim on Thursday. The Oilers need 60 minutes of clean hockey and 60 minutes of officials doing their actual job.
The league office will get a phone call tomorrow. Whether anyone picks up is the open question.
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LIVE
APRIL 28, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kirill Kaprizov | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Evan Bouchard | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Matthew Boldy | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Miro Heiskanen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jason Robertson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Connor McDavid | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zach Hyman | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexander Killorn | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Elias Lindholm | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Michael McCarron | 1 | - | 1 | |
| David Pastrnak | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vasily Podkolzin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mats Zuccarello | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Matt Duchene | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cutter Gauthier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan Hartman | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Quinn Hughes | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||