Leon Draisaitl gets into it with HHOF reporter Jim Matheson at press conference

Edmonton Oilers star player Leon Draisaitl is sick of losing. On Tuesday as he met with reporters to take about his team’s ongoing struggles and losing streak and when reporter Jim Matheson asked him what the Oilers needed to focus on in terms of improvement, Draisaitl got pissy and disrespectful with the reporter who was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Several colleagues and other reporters were adamant on Twitter that Draisaitl should treat the respected journalist this way, with some demanding that the star player apologize to him when they cross paths next. But, some of us believe he is right to be so angry with what's been happening. 

This is how Draisaitl and Matheson got into it:

We can understand Draisaitl’s frustration as the Oilers are currently in sixth place in the Pacific Division with an 18-15-2 record and 38 points. The divisional slots in playoff positioning currently belong to Vegas (48 points), Los Angeles (45 points), and Anaheim (45 points). Meanwhile, Minnesota leads the wild card race (47 points), followed by the Sharks (44 points). The Flames (40 points) and Jets (39 points) sit between Edmonton and San Jose.

Their playoff hopes are in doubt and when you have Draisaitl and captain Connor McDavid on board, you have to be shaking your head. The Oilers show a .267 point percentage since Dec. 1, after going 3-10-2 and earning just eight of a possible 30 points.

Draisaitl is doing everything he can to help his team win. However, something has been up with him as Sportsnet points out the following statistics:

“McDavid or Draisaitl made up 30 per cent of the Oilers’ 5-on-5 goals before Dec. 1. And about three-quarters of the team’s scoring featured a point from McDavid and/or Draisaitl. But Draisaitl, who had a point on almost 42 per cent of the team’s scoring, has decreased by 10 per cent in this time. McDavid’s slipped by over seven per cent.”

We get Draisaitl is upset, but maybe he could keep that fire and fight for the ice.