The Edmonton Oilers were able to get two points on the back of a two point night from Evan Bouchard.
The Edmonton Oilers were able to get two points on the back of a two point night from Evan Bouchard.
EDMONTON -- Evan Bouchard should be a James Norris Trophy finalist this year. With a goal and an assist last night the Edmonton Oilers defender is now up to 56 points on the season. The only defenseman who have more are Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Noah Dobson and Victor Hedman.
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That's great company to be in. For the young blue liner however, the team win means more than his boxscore. Bouchard told the press after the game"[I] kinda just go out and play I don't care too much about the stats."
His game against the Los Angeles Kings encapsulates the highs and lows of Bouchard. He can make a read that doesn't pan out - but then he can score with his "Bouch-Bomb."
Because of everything he can bring to the Oilers, Mattias Ekholm doesn't believe he needs to scold himself whenever a play doesn't go his way. Ekholm told The Hockey News, "I honestly don't think he is hard on himself and I don't think he should be."
"There's gonna be hiccups and there's gonna be some reads where it doesn't pan out, but I think he's been really good at weighing those situations."
For the dynamic threat that Bouchard is, Ekholm believes that the way he stays there is if he is able to learn from his errors - but not allow those mishaps to alter how he plays the game.
"When they happen, put them in your backpack, try to learn from them. But don't let them affect the way you play. If you start getting down on yourself, you're gonna take yourself out of the game and he didn't - he came back and got us that big goal."
At this point in the season most of the NHL knows about the "Bouch-Bomb." His teammates are even more familiar with it. Ekholm is impressed by one particular facet of his shot, "I think the accuracy is the thing that stands out."
"Obviously he can really get velocity on it and [obviously] he shoots it really hard."
Ekholm is amazed at how he is able to pick his corners - particularly top glove side. "It seems effortless but every time he gets an opportunity he goes for the top corner and he usually hits them."
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The Oilers collect two points against the Kings with a 4-2 victory. They play again on Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues.
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