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You never have to guess how Leon Draisaitl is feeling.

The Edmonton Oilers winger rarely hides his emotions, whether it’s celebrating a big goal, expressing frustration after a bad shift or even in his post-game interviews with the media.

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Passion is good, it’s the byproduct of a fierce competitor who wants to win more than anything else.

But sometimes, like when the team is in a funk, negative body language from a leader only makes things worse. So does letting that passion result in a costly penalty.

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Draisaitl, who was guilty of both in Edmonton’s 6-3 loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday, knows he needs to be more disciplined and self aware out there while still maintaining that fire.

“Of course, when things aren’t going your way and you lose a couple in a row, it is easy to get down on yourselves,” he said. “It’s something that we, led by me, can do a much better job with and going forward we will continue to chip away at that.”

When a team is slipping like the Oilers are right now, a lot of guys are on edge.

“There is a little bit of negativity and frustration right now,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “But nothing like there had been before.”

While Knoblauch says cleaning up the body language would be helpful, he also points out that Draisaitl’s effort and hunger can never be questioned.

“Leon is a leader on our team, a lot of guys look up to him. He’s been showing his frustration, but his work ethic has been there. He’s been doing things well.

“Is he at the top of his game? No, but it’s still pretty good. Just like almost everyone, we can all be a little better.”

E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com

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