Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl scored his 29th goal in the first five minute of a game in a 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals.

Stanks On SportsA Prince Albert Raiders quarter century all-star team from 2000-25 would be anchored by a trio who are automatics.Leon Draisaitl, Josh M

Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisailt leads a talented field of NHL elite in the race for this season's Hart Trophy, highlighting his value to the team and league

Draisaitl is expected to be a core piece for the Oilers for the foreseeable future. He signed an eight-year, $112 million contract ($14 million average annual value) starting next season and is currently in the final season of an eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million AAV) signed prior to the 2017-2018 season.

The Edmonton Oilers are in town for a Western Conference matchup as the Colorado Avalanche continue their five-game homestand. The Oilers will play their second game of a back-to-back tonight after taking a 5-3 win over the Minnesota Wild.

While everyone is talking about Mitch Marner and John Tavares with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the other member of the “Big Three” free agents this summer is Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche.  Like the others listed above,

Connor McDavid will lead the Edmonton Oilers against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena, Denver in back-to-back games after playing the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.

The top unit of McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evan Bouchard, and Zach Hyman are still spearheading a sharp unit as the Oilers rank No. 8 overall in power-play efficiency, but they ended last season at No. 4.

Nathan MacKinnon has the inside track on his second-straight Hart Trophy winner. Here are four other names to watch in the NHL's MVP race.

Draisaitl's elite production has led the Oilers to a top-five position in the NHL standings and he is firmly in the mix to take home his second Hart Trophy. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, Draisaitl has the third-best odds to win the award at +320. Only Nathan MacKinnon at +280 and his Oilers teammate Connor McDavid at +300 have shorter odds.

This is the obvious one. Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 68 points, seven more than Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl in second place. Also of note, he’s first in points per game at 1.58, narrowly ahead of the Art Ross winner last season, Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov at 1.57.

Draisaitl scored a goal on four shots and added an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Capitals.