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Ryan Whitney gives Evan Bouchard a backhanded compliment after Oilers' collapse versus Golden Knights
Ryan Whitney, an NHL insider and Edmonton Oilers fan, shared his thoughts on Evan Bouchard’s performance in the Oilers' 4-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Whitney praised Bouchard’s skills and called him a "hell of a player" with a great shot, good movement and solid vision. However, he also pointed out that Bouchard’s start to the season has not been as strong.
"Evan Bouchard is a hell of a player. Shot is a weapon. Moves well. Has great vision. With that said, he’s been horrible to start the year," he tweeted.
Bouchard had a quiet game, failing to register any points and finishing with a -2 rating. The Oilers, who led 2-1 with eight minutes left, couldn’t hold onto the lead, and Vegas took advantage. Whitney commented on the Oilers' collapse, saying they "just stopped playing." He also criticized their penalty kill and defensive coverage, pointing to two key mistakes that led to goals by Noah Hanifin.
"Up 2-1 with 8 minutes left and the oilers decide to just stop playing. Their PK is horrible. Hanafin ties it on power play and just now Hanafin gets another one on an awful rush defense and a bad change. Horrible loss," Whitney wrote.
Despite Connor McDavid’s return from injury, the Oilers couldn't hold their lead, and Vegas won after a comeback. Hanifin scored both of his goals in the third period. It was another tough game for Evan Bouchard in a challenging season. The Oilers will play Vancouver next.
Evan Bouchard failed to score in 3-0 shutout loss to Devils
The Edmonton Oilers recently lost 3-0 to the New Jersey Devils at Rogers Place. Devils' goalie Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season. Evan Bouchard played 27:36 minutes, four more minutes than usual. He took three shots but did not score.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch commented on the loss.
"Overall, it was a pretty good game considering it was a back-to-back,” he said. “So often you win a game and you’re happy, you lose and think of all the things that went wrong."
Knoblauch noted they missed scoring chances and lost the special teams battle.
"We didn’t dominate, but it could have been a lot closer game," he added.
Calvin Pickard made 13 saves for the Oilers, but Edmonton couldn't score. They had chances but struggled against the Devils' strong defense.
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