Did Evan Bouchard just play the best game of any Edmonton Oilers d-man in team history?
He’s on the short list, with a three-goal, three-assist extravaganza in Edmonton’s 6-5 OT win over the Washington Capitals.
“That game felt like Christmas,” said Hockey Night in Canada’s Kevin Bieksa.
Bouchard had as many goals tonight as Drew Doughty and Colton Parayko combined have this season. Well done Team Canada management.
And just so you know that I’m not some fair weather fan, here’s what I wrote about Bouchard on Nov. 1, when the entire hockey world was crapping on his game.
The Grade A shots were 29-to-19 for the Oilers, with the subset of 5-alarm shots 15-11 for Edmonton in this high-wire circus act of a game.
Cult of Hockey player grades
Connor McDavid, 9. Five point night. But it didn’t start out that way. Top line was quiet in the first two periods at even strength. Swell cross-ice pass to Drai on the 2-1 goal for the early lead. Excellent pass to set up Hyman’s late second period jam shot on the PP. He failed to drain his power play one-timer early in the third. Excellent stop up on Bouchard’s third goal. He finally got some puck luck, drilling in a wrister to tie it 4-4 in the third. He failed to drain a wide open slotter with 83 seconds left. Great pass to Hyman on the 5-5. Broke in early in OT and almost scored off Bouch’s pass. Finally took one more great Bouch pass and swooped in to score in OT. Grade A shots plus-minus: Even Strength (EV): +5, -1; Special Teams (ST): +7, -1
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 6. Hmm. First line not creating much at even strength through most of the game. Time for RNH on third line? But a swell seam pass on the 5-5 goal. Grade A +/-: EV +2, -0; ST +2, -1
Zach Hyman, 8. Such a great player, you can count on him to always be around the net and there he was screening the goalie on both of Bouchard’s goals. Failed to drain a golden opp on the PP late in the second. He set up McD’s PP harpoon early in the third. Went to the well one more time and tipped in the 5-5 goal with 32 seconds left. Grade A +/-: EV +4, -1; ST +4, -0
Leon Draisaitl, 8. The highest event night of his career. Many good plays on the attack. Many lost battles on the defensive end. He won a battle, then sent in Podz on an early breakaway. He got too deep on the forecheck, allowing a 3-on-2 in the last seconds of the first, kicking off Washington’s 1-1 goal rush. Sharp hold, wait and pass to Bouchard on the 2-0 goal. He lashed a wicked PP slotter on net early in the third. Solid puck decision and pass on the 3-3 goal. Drove a one-timer on net half-way through the third, brilliant shot, Mt. Everest of a save by LIndgren. He set up McD for a wide open slotter late. He popped the puck on the winning goal. Grade A +/-: EV +10, -7; ST +6, -0
Vasily Podkolzin, 5. Iffy start. His early turnover led to a quick Protas Grade A slotter, then lost the puck and took an early interference penalty, then got thwarted on a breakaway after launching a solid backhander. He rushed in hard, cut cross-ice and hammered a slotter on net. He drew a penalty going to the net in the third. He took the puck super hard to the net and almost scored with three minutes left. Grade A +/-: EV +3, -3; ST +0, -0
Andrew Mangiapane, 4. His struggles continue. He allowed the head-man pass on the 1-1 Washington goal rush. Got a hard wrister on net in the third. Grade A +/-: EV +2, -3; ST +0, -0
Jack Roslovic, 6. Excellent on the attack. Great pass to Howard, who sent in Savoie early on. A second even better stretcher sent in Howard a few shifts later. Weak backcheck allowed a 5-alarm tip by Frank. He fell at the oz-blueline, giving up a breakaway to Strome late in the game, but Strome hit the crossbar. Grade A +/-: EV +4, -2, ST +0, -0
Matt Savoie, 6. Took Howard’s pass on their first shift, almost scored on the backhand. He drew a penalty putting the puck on net on the sharp-end of a great Howard-Roslovic pass play. Grade A +/-: EV +3, -1; ST +0, -0
Ike Howard, 6. Swell pass to set up Savoie’s early 5-alarm break-in. Failed to drain his own breakaway a moment later, Edmonton’s third breakaway in four minutes. Grade A +/-: EV +3, -1; ST +0, -0
Mattias Janmark, 3. Solid on an early kill, not much else, but limited ice time for the fourth line. He let the outside shot on the 4-3 PP goal against, then he over-committed chasing the puck on the fifth Caps goal, allowing a clear outside shot. Grade A +/-: EV +0, -0; ST +0, -4
Curtis Lazar, 5 Quiet game in limited time. He took a tough four-minute penalty in the third. Grade A +/-: EV +0, -0; ST +0, -0
Trent Frederic, 5. Also quiet. Grade A +/-: EV +0, -0; ST +0, -0
Mattias Ekholm, 7. Solid game. Swell offensive decision to set up Bouch’s shot on the 1-0 goal. Grade A +/-: EV +3, -1; ST +0, -0
Evan Bouchard, 10. Hat trick. Three assists. He was a key player on every goal. He also kept a clean sheet at even strength, not one major mistake on a Grade A shot against. Put the puck on net through a heavy screen to score Edmonton’s first goal. Did the same with a nasty Denis Potvin-ian point wrister on the 2-0 goal. He drilled a diagonal pass to set up RNH down low on the PP, then set up Hyman a moment later for an even better shot. Great keep-in to keep a power play alive in the third, then cut out a dangerous pass into the slot. Took his time, picked his spot and wristed in the third Edmonton goal. He made a swell and swift backhand pass on McD’s PP goal to tie it 4-4. Beauty pass off the faceoff to set up Drai’s harpoon. He blasted a one-timer with 37 seconds but no goal. Great sprawling dive to keep in the puck in OT and keep Edmonton’s hope alive. Finally made a great defensive read and stretch pass to send in McD for the OT winner. Grade A +/-: EV +6, -0; ST +4, -0
Darnell Nurse, 7. He misread the play adn allowed the pass to the wing on the first Washington goal. Solid slide to take away a dangerous slot opp for the Caps in the third. Twice set up Walman for hard shots in the third. Grade A +/-: EV +4, -4; ST +0, -0
Spencer Stastney, 4. He’s struggling just now, not making plays, getting beat a bit too much. He allowed the outside shot on the 3-2 Caps goal rush. He screened the goalie on the Caps 4-3 goal. Grade A +/-: EV +1, -3; ST +0, -1
Ty Emberson, 5. Held his own. Some good work to help kill an early penalty. Grade A +/-: EV +0, -2; ST +0, -0
Jake Walman, 4. Some struggles on defence. He charged in to slice a pass cross-ice and set up a Roslovic Grade A in the first. He failed to follow his man to the net on Washington’s first goal. Two hard shots on net on the 4-on-4 in the third. Grade A +/-: EV +3, -5; ST +0, -0
Connor Ingram, 5. He let in three goals on 11 Grade A shots, about what you’d expect. Big stop early on Mt. Protas, then little chance on the 1-1 Caps goal rush. Big slide save early in the second on McMichael. He was beat on a hard shot outside slotter from Sourdif on the 2-2 goal. Great save on Frank’s break-in tip. The third goal, another goal rush, deflected in off Stastney but evidently Ingram was blamed for it and was pulled. A bit harsh, no?
Tristan Jarry, 6. Great stretch pass to set up Hyman’s eventual jam shot on the power play, then stopped speedy Frank on a breakaway. Not much chance on Washington’s 4-3 goal through a heavy screen. Saved by the crossbar on Strome’s breakaway. But big saves on Dowd’s tip and Beauvillier’s rebound. He made two brilliant saves, but could not stop the third on the 5-4 goal.