Connor McDavid's double-minor penalty in overtime could've cost the Edmonton Oilers the win, but he became the Game 1 hero to begin the NHL's Western Conference final. Evan Bouchard [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA2NDQ0NDc0MjI0NjE3MTY2/usatsi_23277089.jpg] Evan Bouchard Bobby Orr never did it, Paul Coffey never did it, nor did Denis Potvin, Ray Bourque, Nicklas Lidstrom or any other defenseman in NHL history. Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard stands alone as the first blueliner in the 100-plus years of the league's existence to record 20 or more points in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Bouchard continued where he left off in Game 1 of the Western Conference final against the Dallas Stars. On Thursday, he set up Connor McDavid for the game-winner in double-overtime. It was a great heads-up play to feed the captain in the slot for a redirection to give Edmonton a 1-0 series lead. And with his helpful assist, he finished the game with plus-3 and over a half-hour of ice time. While Bouchard couldn't get on the scoresheet on the Oilers' Game 2 loss on Saturday, it’s still a huge understatement to say he is having a remarkable playoff campaign with 21 points in just 14 games. If he stays healthy and the Oilers continue their playoff run all the way to the Stanley Cup final, Bouchard could become the all-time leader for most points in a single post-season by a defenseman. The current record holder is Coffey, the Oilers legend and assistant coach, with 37 points in 18 games in the 1985 playoffs. Among active D-men, Cale Makar carries the flag with 29 points in 20 games in the 2022 post-season when his Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup. Bouchard has proven he’s a playoff performer, just as he did in the regular season. He finished the 2023-24 campaign averaging just over a point per game with 82 points in 81 contests. In his entire NHL playoff career, he’s put up 47 points in 42 games. For a defenseman – or, let’s face it, for any player, regardless of position – this is outstanding offensive production. Not only does the native of Oakville, Ont. lead all defensemen in points in the 2024 playoffs, but he’s third in overall post-season scoring. In fact, the top four playoff scoring leaders are all Oilers, as Leon Draisaitl has 25 points, followed by Connor McDavid at 23, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is fourth with 17 points. A big advantage and threat the Oilers provide is their power play. All season long, the Oilers' power play has been lights-out. The man advantage – quarterbacked by Bouchard – finished fourth-best in the regular season at 26.3-percent efficiency [https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask?q=nhl+best+powerplay+percentage+2023+%2F+2024+season]. However, Edmonton’s power play really took off in the playoffs. The Oilers have converted on the power play at an astounding 36.6-percent rate in the post-season. At one point in the first round, the Oilers were at a whopping 45 percent on the power play and it has been pretty consistent since. While the power-play unit consists of the superstar duo, McDavid and Draisaitl, Bouchard’s contribution should not be overlooked. The 24-year-old has eight power-play points in these playoffs, placing him third in the league. Although Bouchard is getting the job done on the power play, his success has not been limited to just while on the man advantage. Along with Draisaitl, he leads all skaters in 5-on-5 scoring with 13 points, impressively ahead of McDavid’s 12 even-strength points so far in these playoffs. It’s not often you see a defenseman average more than a point per game, let alone in the playoffs and beating out arguably the best player on the planet. In addition to all of Bouchard’s impressive offensive feats, he’s a reliable defender. Not only is he among the league leaders in offensive production, but he leads the NHL in playoff plus-minus at plus-12. It may seem like a nothing stat for some, but to be matched up against the opposition's top forwards constantly, and averaging over 24 minutes of ice time per game, it’s pretty impressive to be on the right side of the goal horn as much as Bouchard has. The Oilers still have Bouchard locked up for one more year after this campaign is over. In 2023, they signed him to a two-year deal at an annual value of $3.9 million. This deal could be looked at as a steal, but if GM Ken Holland is still around next summer, he’ll have to dig deep into his pocket to re-sign Bouchard.
