"Leon Draisaitl is invisible out there": $68,000,000 Oilers winger under fire from fans after point-less game in loss to Panthers

Leon Draisaitl failed to register a point for a second straight game in the Oilers' 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. The German winger had zero shots on goal in his 17:32 minutes on ice.

Tonight was Leon Draisaitl's 10th point-less game of the season. His latest point came as a goal when the Oilers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 earlier in the week.

After the loss, fans took to social media to dwell on the Oilers second consecutive loss and Draisaitl's performance. One fan said:

"Draisaitl-1 goal 3pts as a -6 in his last 6gp if you take away the fluke goal off zaitzev’s stick. He’s invisible out there." - @SportsF4natic55

One fan even requested Leon Draisaitl's trade from Oilers,

Some fans wanted continued to demand changes to the goaltending department.

Calvin Pickard replaced Stuart Skinner in the Oilers net and made 34 saves on 39 shots making a .872 SV%.

Leon Draisaitl's eight year/$68,000,000 contract is up for extension after this season. Edmonton Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson addressed the impending extensions on his team in an interview with The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun and said:

“I think we’re a good enough team that can beat any team in the league. If we’re there competing for the Cup, and we put something in front of players to do extensions and things like that, and they want to stay, it’s their choice.’’

Leon Draisaitl's future in Edmonton is uncertain at this point. Before the start of the campaign, him and other Oilers teammates had claimed this season to be "Cup or bust".

Leon Draisaitl's slump continues in Panthers' win

Florida Panthers' dominant first period began with Carter Verhaeghe's goal in 5:33rd minute. Brandon Montour and Aleksander Barkov netted two goals within a 30-second window in the last minutes of the first period.

Oilers' top-goal scorer of the season, Zach Hyman, scored the team's first, and eventually the only, goal in the first half of the second period. It was Hyman's 18th goal of the season bringing his tally to 29 points in 26 games.

16:01 into the second, Sam Bennett scored on the Florida Panthers' power play, which saw Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky pick up an assist, his first point of the season.

With the score at 4-1 to start the third, the Panthers grew their lead after an early goal in the third from Carter Verhaeghe, his second of the game.

The Florida Panthers win the head-to-head series, 2-0 against the Edmonton Oilers in the 2023-24 regular season. The next meeting between these two teams may be in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Leon Draisaitl's superstar duo, Connor McDavid's extended his point streak to 12 games with an assist on the Hyman goal.

The Oilers are going six-game road trip following tonight's loss. The first leg will be three games in the east coast against the Islanders, Devils and Rangers followed by a west coast trip to play against the Sharks, Kings and Ducks.