Mattias Ekholm`s prolonged absence from the Edmonton Oilers` lineup was widely expected to be a major detriment to the team`s Stanley Cup aspirations. Nevertheless, even without their most reliable defenseman for all 11 playoff games thus far, the Oilers have successfully navigated their way to the Western Conference Final for the third time in the last four years.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch informed reporters last week that he does not anticipate Ekholm, who has been sidelined by an undisclosed injury that also caused him to miss 10 of Edmonton’s final 11 regular-season contests, being ready to play in at least Games 1 and 2 against the Dallas Stars. The team is being cautious and will not hasten his return to action.
“It`s probably unrealistic to expect Ekholm to immediately return to the level we saw from him in last year`s playoffs whenever he does rejoin us,” Knoblauch commented to the media. “Fortunately, our current defensive group is performing exceptionally well right now, so we are not facing a desperate situation where we need to insert him before he is fully ready.”
At the outset of the playoffs, Knoblauch faced the significant challenge of compensating for Ekholm`s demanding role, typically playing over 22 tough minutes per game. He has redistributed this ice time among Evan Bouchard, Darnell Nurse, and Brett Kulak, all of whom have seen substantial increases in their average ice time compared to the regular season. Bouchard, in particular, is playing nearly three additional minutes per game; his average of 26:24 on ice is currently the second highest among all skaters still participating in the post-season, trailing only Stars defenseman Thomas Harley (26:37).
Remarkably, even without Ekholm skating beside him, Bouchard has continued to post impressive statistics, contributing to the Oilers generating 61.9 percent of expected goals at 5-on-5 during his time on the ice. He has accumulated 12 points in 11 playoff games (seven points at 5-on-5), elevating his career playoff points total to 70 in just 64 games (a rate of 1.09 points per game). Among the nearly 450 defensemen who have participated in at least 50 career playoff games, only the legendary Bobby Orr has averaged more points per game (1.24).
Defensively, Bouchard and the Oilers experienced a difficult start, conceding 12 goals in their initial two losses to the Los Angeles Kings. Bouchard was on the ice for five of the seven goals scored by the Kings at 5-on-5 in Games 1 and 2 of the first round. However, over the subsequent nine games, the Oilers have outscored their opponents 13-8 at 5-on-5 while Bouchard is on the ice. This includes a significant 8-2 advantage against the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round.
Bouchard’s 29:47 of puck possession time leads all players in the NHL this post-season, and his true turnover rate of 12 percent ranks 13th among the 206 skaters who have logged at least 100 minutes in the playoffs. Simply put, Bouchard is handling the puck with an impressively high level of effectiveness. In the Oilers’ opening playoff loss to the Kings on April 21st, Bouchard committed two turnovers that directly resulted in goals against within 10 seconds of the puck being lost. Since that particular game, he has been credited with only one turnover in 10 games that ultimately ended up in the back of Edmonton’s net.
In the Oilers` last two games, Knoblauch strategically paired Bouchard with Brett Kulak, a decision that produced the desired positive outcomes. With this defensive pairing on the ice during the final games against the Golden Knights to clinch the series, the Oilers held a 14-9 edge in scoring chances and outscored Vegas 1-0 at 5-on-5. (Meanwhile, Darnell Nurse transitioned to skating on the second defense pairing alongside Troy Stecher.)
Duncan Priestley