What Evan Bouchard's Five-Point Season Opener Means for the Oilers
Evan Bouchard began the NHL season with the kind of offensive night defencemen rarely produce. In Edmonton's opener against the visiting Vancouver Canucks, the Oilers blueliner scored in each period and added two assists. By the final horn, he had five points — a total no defenceman in league history had recorded in a season opener.
A night that changed the game
Bouchard did not ease into the campaign. Oil On Whyte reported that he scored Edmonton's first goal of the season, tying the game 1-1 in the opening frame. His second goal arrived later, and he completed the hat trick midway through the third period. Sportsnet said that goal cut Vancouver's lead to 5-4 and caused a short break while arena staff picked up hats thrown from the crowd.
Bouchard was not finished. With 43 seconds left in regulation, he picked up his second assist of the night on Vasily Podkolzin's tying goal. That pulled the Oilers to 5-5 and sent the game to overtime. Vancouver's Cotter scored his second goal of the night to win it, handing Edmonton a 6-5 loss.
A record that stood since 1980
Bouchard's hat trick was the first by a defenceman in a season opener since Mark Howe did it for the Hartford Whalers in 1980, according to Sportsnet. The five-point night went one step further. Sportsnet noted that no defenceman in NHL history had ever recorded five points in a season opener before. NHL.com also identified the performance as the second hat trick of Bouchard's career.
Why the night matters
The performance arrived at the start of an important season for Bouchard. He led all defencemen in scoring last year with 21 goals and 74 assists for 95 points in 82 games, per Sportsnet. That was not enough for a Norris Trophy nomination. The Oilers also lost in the first round to the Anaheim Ducks, as Oil On Whyte noted.
That made this season a redemption year for the Oakville, Ont., native. The opener gave him an early piece of evidence in that push. Edmonton left with one point instead of two, so the night was not a team triumph. But Bouchard's hat trick and five-point showing gave the Oilers a clear look at their top offensive defenceman at his most dangerous. Whether he can sustain that over the full season is the real test.