The Edmonton Oilers are showing absolutely no mercy to their divisional rival Vancouver Canucks in their rematch of Tuesday’s 6-5 OT loss in Edmonton. By the time that five minutes had elapsed in the second period, the Oilers enjoyed a 5-0 lead along with a 16-2 advantage in shots.
And one of the major catalysts for Edmonton’s offense so far in the early goings of the season is defenseman Evan Bouchard, who is now officially in the NHL record books thanks to another hot start.
Edmonton Oilers Defenseman Evan Bouchard Officially Made NHL History On Thursday
Bouchard, who recorded a hat trick along with two assists in Edmonton’s 6-5 overtime loss to Vancouver on Tuesday, added another goal with two assists in the first 20 minutes alone of the rematch in Vancouver on Thursday.
In doing so, he now has eight points on the season through not even a full two games played, and he’s made NHL history.
With eight points (so far) in his first two games, Bouchard tied and then passed former Toronto Arenas defenseman Harry Cameron, who had seven points in his first two games of the 1917-18 NHL season over a century ago.
Evan Bouchard Said Edmonton Must Be More Detailed After Their 6-5 OT Loss
Despite racking up the points in their first game, Bouchard and the Oilers fell by a 6-5 final score in overtime.
Afterward, Bouchard stated the obvious – the club needs to tighten up defensively.
“You can tell it was our first regular-season game,” Bouchard said via NHL.com. “We have to be a lot more detailed than that. Giving up odd-man rushes, giving up five or six (goals), isn’t going to cut it.”
“I think it’s just about buying in, kind of less thinking. Obviously, it is new and you’re going to have some hiccups, but there’s little things that aren’t the system’s fault,” he said. “Whether it was a bad pinch where you’re giving up odd-man rushes like we did tonight, it’s not going to go well.”
Meanwhile, he’s gotten an indelible first impression of head coach Mike Babcock, who was hired during the offseason to replace the fired Kris Knoblauch.
“He tells you what he sees, and that’s a good thing,” Bouchard said. “He tells you the way he wants things to be played and he’s very direct with it.”
Oilers’ Evan Bouchard Breaks NHL Record From 1917