Oilers in awe of Bouchard: 'He's been pretty special'
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard has been a force of nature in these playoffs, and his leaderboard-climbing performance hasn't been lost on his teammates.
"He's just good," Leon Draisaitl said Saturday with a laugh. "He's so calm. He makes the right play seemingly every time with the puck on his stick, and he defends well, too. ... He's just elevated his game to another level. Just no stress in his game."
Bouchard registered two assists during Edmonton's 3-1 Game 5 victory Friday night to become the third-fastest defenseman to reach 50 playoff points (45 games) in NHL history, trailing only Bobby Orr (39 games) and Brian Leetch (41 games).
The 24-year-old is in the midst of his third career postseason run, and he already sits fifth all time in playoff points by a rearguard in franchise history:
| Rank | Player | Points | GP | P/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Coffey | 103 | 94 | 1.10 |
| 2 | Charlie Huddy | 77 | 138 | 0.56 |
| T-3 | Kevin Lowe | 52 | 172 | 0.30 |
| T-3 | Randy Gregg | 52 | 130 | 0.40 |
| 5 | Evan Bouchard | 51 | 45 | 1.13 |
Bouchard is only two points away from taking sole possession of third place in the Oilers' history books, and with Edmonton up 3-2 in the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, he'll have at least two more games to work with.
Edmonton forward Zach Hyman couldn't settle on just one thing when asked what stands out the most about Bouchard's game.
"Everything," he said. "He's been pretty special, obviously. ... Any time he's on the ice, it feels like we have the puck. If you find him, he's going to make a play, and you're excited. ... Fun to be a part of."
Bouchard leads all defensemen with 25 points (six goals, 19 assists) in 17 games this spring. That offensive output is good for the second-most points by a blue-liner in a single postseason in Oilers history, behind only Paul Coffey's 37-point outburst in 1985.
He's also tied for the sixth-most points in one playoff run among all rearguards and third among active defensemen:
| Rank | Player | Year | Points | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Coffey | 1985 | 37 | 18 |
| 2 | Brian Leetch | 1994 | 34 | 23 |
| 3 | Al MacInnis | 1989 | 31 | 22 |
| 4 | Cale Makar | 2022 | 29 | 20 |
| 5 | Miro Heiskanen | 2020 | 26 | 27 |
| T-6 | Evan Bouchard | 2024 | 25 | 17 |
| T-6 | Denis Potvin | 1981 | 25 | 18 |
| T-6 | Ray Bourque | 1991 | 25 | 19 |
Bouchard enjoyed a career year, setting new highs in goals (18) and points (82) in the regular season while skating in all but one contest.
The Oilers will look to eliminate the Stars in Game 6 on Sunday to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006 when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.