Chris Kreider Hit on Leon Draisaitl Draws No Penalty in Game 5

chris kreider drove Leon Draisaitl into the boards with 2:40 left in the second period of Game 5, and officials let play continue. No penalty came on the hit, and the call drew immediate backlash because Edmonton was already up 4-1.

Kreider And Draisaitl

Kreider caught Draisaitl square on the numbers in the 2026 NHL Western Conference First Round series, a heavy collision that sent the Edmonton forward hard into the boards. Draisaitl stayed in the game and later finished with 2 goals, giving Edmonton another scoring punch after the hit.

The play landed in the middle of a decisive stretch for the Oilers. They had opened the game with first-period goals from Vasily Podkolzin, Zach Hyman and Draisaitl, then watched Draisaitl add a power-play goal with help from Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard. That left the Oilers in control at 4-1 when the collision happened.

Oilers Fans React

Oilers Nation shared the clip on X and called it a ruthless hit, and the reaction moved fast. One fan wrote, “What a piece of actual (expletive). That deserves fkn hearing.” Another wrote, “That hit could take an elite player out for the season or worse. Refs are horrible. Dont care who it is. Do better.”

Other posts focused on the missed call itself. One fan wrote, “That’s blatantly a hit from behind. You have to call that, or it’s going to get real chippy in this series,” while another wrote, “Then looks for the call right after, pure guilt, and ref?? “All good, dude, play on!”” A separate fan added, “Can see the puck cross the line by a mm, but can’t see boarding right in front of their f’n faces. Clown show officiating.”

The hit also sat against a wider series backdrop. Draisaitl had recently returned from a knee injury that kept him out for 14 regular-season games, and he entered Game 5 as Edmonton’s leading forward in points in the series. With the Oilers trailing 3-1 before the night began, his ability to stay upright and keep producing mattered in a game they needed to win.

Edmonton Cuts The Gap

Edmonton finished the night with a win after defending well in the third period, and that trimmed Anaheim’s series lead to 3-2. Connor Ingram returned in net and made 29 saves while allowing one goal, but the moment most people will remember from Game 5 is still the one that ended with Draisaitl sliding into the boards and no penalty on the ice.