Bouchard Quiet on the Sheet, Busy in Every Other Way
The Oilers blueliner went without a point but still finished on the right side of the ledger in a 3-1 win over the Rangers.
Evan Bouchard did not hit the scoresheet in Edmonton's 3-1 win over the Rangers, but he was on the ice a lot. His 22:22 was the most among the Oilers' six defencemen and third among all 18 skaters on the team, behind two teammates.
His line: no goals, no assists, one shot on goal, one hit, one block, one takeaway and plus 1. That shot came on the power play. At even strength he put three shot attempts up, and none reached the net. He also took two penalty minutes and gave the puck away three times.
For a defenceman who has 31 points in 19 games this season, including 10 goals, a blank night is a step back from his usual output. The ice time is a bit lower than his 25.6 average, too.
The Oilers (13-3-3) took the win anyway. Bouchard was part of it without being the story.