The Edmonton Oilers were looking to close out their string of home games at Rogers Place on a winning note. After losing the close match against the Detroit Red Wings, the team was looking to return to their winning way against the Toronto Maple Leaf on Saturday. However, the match ended in a 3-4 loss. Despite Evan Bouchard getting the Oilers’ first goal, a renowned NHL journalist had some hard words for the defenseman.
“Oilers playing poorly. Evan Bouchard playing somewhere south of that,” wrote Sportsnet Sr. columnist Mark Spector. The former President of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association’s brutal remark indicated the veteran defenseman was playing even worse than the rest of the team and was 4-1 down on the scoreboard heading into the third period.
Mark Spector focused on the errors Bouchard had made. “Puck error after puck error. Bouchard wasn’t ready to play tonight,” the reporter argued. However, it was Bouchard who had multiple shots on target before giving his team the much-needed breakthrough. The goal that kicked started the Oilers’ push for a comeback was Bouchard’s ninth this season.
That may not sound impressive to some. However, it was Evan Bouchard’s 50th career goal, making him the second-fastest Oilers defenseman to hit the milestone. Bouchard also got involved in helping Zach Hyman score the Oilers’ second goal of the night, picking up his 30th assist this season. However, the 25-year-old also admitted to not playing up to his mark.
Oilers playing poorly, Evan Bouchard playing somewhere south of that.
Puck error after puck error. Bouchard wasn’t ready to play tonight.
— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) February 2, 2025
“We were keeping it simple… We were all over them, but we came up short,” the defenseman told the press in the post-loss interview. However, Spector’s take and Bouchard’s overall performance in the match divided the fans among those who agreed with the journalist and those who didn’t.
Fans didn’t think Evan Bouchard was the only one responsible
“Bouchard is horrendous. Has been all year, but we have Skinner to back him up, so there’s that,” commented one fan, agreeing with Mark Spector. Meanwhile, another fan added that the 25-year-old’s disappointing performance was something the individual had grown accustomed to. “We see this every night though… This isn’t just tonight,” wrote the fan. Yet, do these claims add up?
To see if Evan Bouchard’s performance throughout the season has been ‘horrendous’ we need to crunch some numbers. Last season Bouchard played 81 games, notching 64 assists and 18 goals. Compared to those numbers, the defenseman’s performance has certainly taken a hit. Despite playing 52 games, the defenseman has half that many goals and less than half the assists.
However, is this slum enough to warrant such harsh criticism from the likes of Mark Spector? Well, many fans didn’t think so and made their opinion known. “Lol, what!? Bouch had a goal… Skinner’s team had 48 shots and lost to 28 shots. Typical,” commented a netizen. However, the one thing common in both fans who agreed with Spector and those who didn’t was Stuart Skinner.
A third fan highlighted the Stuart Skinner issue. “It’s Bouchard’s fault that his goaltender can’t make a save? Get real, stop trying to run our third-best player out of town,” commented the NHL fan, arguing against Spector’s criticism of Evan Bouchard. Just like Spector pointed out Bouchard’s flaws, the fans highlighted the disparity between Skinner and Toronto’s goaltender Joseph Woll.
Despite facing an absolute onslaught by the Edmonton Oilers in the final period of the game, Woll conceded only three goals. The fourth Edmonton goal got reversed due to a penalty. Meanwhile, despite having to defend nearly half as many shots on target as Woll, Skinner conceded four goals. So many thought that Spector directed his criticism to ward the wrong player.
Finally, another fan defended Bouchard by bringing up his playoff performance. “He’s resting for a killer playoff run,” argued the fan. Last year, Evan Bouchard played 25 games during the playoffs, notching 26 assists and six goals. The fan argued that despite the slum in the regular season, the defenseman will once again prove the doubters wrong in this year’s playoffs. Yet, which take do you agree with? Let us know in the comments.
The post NHL Reporter’s Harsh Claim on Evan Bouchard Divides Oilers Fans Post Saddening Loss: “Horrendous” appeared first on EssentiallySports.