Latest news with #EvanBouchard
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Oilers take Western Conference Final lead with 6-1 win over Stars in Game 3: takeaways
Goals 36 seconds apart in the first period fueled the Edmonton Oilers to a convincing 6-1 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Place. The Oilers lead the best-of-7 series 2-1, after consecutive victories. Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard opened the scoring at 14:02 of the first period with a blast from the point that made its way through traffic. Just 36 seconds later, Connor McDavid finished off a 3-on-1 rush for his first goal of the series, giving the Oilers a 2-0 lead before the Stars could settle in. Dallas had a few early chances, including a point-blank look from Colin Blackwell that was turned aside by Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner, but the Stars failed to score early, a constant issue in these playoffs. Edmonton controlled the pace for much of the Sunday matinee, limiting second-chance opportunities and forcing turnovers that turned into rush chances. Advertisement Jason Robertson got the Stars on the board at 15:35 of the second period, but McDavid responded just 18 seconds before intermission with an electric goal to make it 3-1. That Oilers momentum carried into the third, when Zach Hyman scored twice and John Klingberg added a power-play goal to put the game out of reach. Much like Games 1 and 2, the Oilers came out aggressive, trying to control the pace. A 62-second offensive zone shift for the Oilers four minutes into the game generated multiple shots, but Stars goalie Jake Oettinger stood tall. With 10:45 remaining in the period, Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen centered a pass for Sam Steel, but it hit off his skate and landed right on the tape of Blackwell near the crease. Skinner used all of his 6-foot-4 frame to push across the crease and flash the pad to deny the point-blank chance, keeping things scoreless. Dallas hoped to go on the power-play with 6:08 remaining in the period after Brett Kulak sent the puck over the boards, but after the officials got together, and no penalty was assessed. After winning the face-off in their own zone, it took Edmonton only 10 seconds to capitalize. Advertisement Ryan Nugent-Hopkins entered the zone and, after circling around near the left face-off circle, dropped it back to Bouchard for a 93 mph rocket. With traffic in front blocking Oettinger's view, the puck found the back of the net for a 1-0 Edmonton lead less than 40 seconds later, Edmonton forced a turnover near the blue line and on the ensuing 3-on-1 rush, McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins played catch with the puck before McDavid buried it into the back to make it 2-0. An onslaught of shots throughout the second period eventually caught up to Skinner, with Robertson credited with Dallas' first goal, making it 2-1. McDavid, who hadn't scored in this series until the first period of this game, made it 3-1 with his second of the afternoon in the final 20 seconds of the period. After a wrap-around chance, Dallas couldn't clear the puck, and McDavid regained possession inside the blue line. He took it to the net and beat Oettinger blocker side, erasing all of Dallas' work in the period. Hyman added to Edmonton's lead with 16:35 left in regulation. McDavid threaded a pass that landed right on the tape of Hyman behind the defense, setting him up with a 1-on-1 against Oettinger. Hyman didn't miss, roofing it top shelf to give the Oiler's a 4-1 advantage. Advertisement Later in the period, Evander Kane connected with Hyman, this time a saucer pass threaded through the defenders right in front of the net. Hyman got just enough of his stick on it to deflect the puck past Oettinger, extending the Oilers' lead to 5-1 with his second goal of the period at 12:06. Klingberg scored a power-play goal with a clean shot that beat Oettinger glove side, giving the Oilers a 6-1 lead at 17:40. There was a late scrum, not a surprise with how frustrated the Stars were. Game 4 is Tuesday night night in Edmonton. Related: NHL playoff predictions: Picks for conference finals, 2025 Stanley Cup champion 3 takeaways from Oilers' Game 3 win over Stars in Western Conference Final Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images 1. Stars continue to struggle with early deficits For the third time in as many games this series, and 13th time these playoffs, the Stars have allowed the first goal. As noted by John Kreiser in Sportsnaut's Game 2 recap, 'The Stars can't expect to win if they keep having to chase the game.' Advertisement While they managed to stay afloat with a 6-6 record in those games entering Sunday, constantly playing from behind is never a recipe for success, especially this deep into a playoff run. Stars coach Peter DeBoer acknowledged the concern after Game 2, saying, '[The] first goal in this series is important. We take a penalty, they score on the first power play and we're playing from behind.' His comments show a clear awareness that the team's slow starts are becoming a recurring issue, and one that's putting them at a disadvantage. Against a high-octane team like the Oilers, the Stars need to find a way to match the early urgency from puck drop of they want to stay in the series. Advertisement Also Read:: NHL Games Today: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Schedule, Dates, Times, and Results 2. What is Connor Brown's status for Game 4? The Oilers may be without a key player heading into Game 4 after forward Connor Brown exited Game 3 with an apparent injury. Brown left late in the second period after taking a hit from Alexander Petrovic along the half-wall, and it was later announced at the start of the third that he would not return. The collision happened as Brown was attempting to break out of the zone, and the hit was enough to send him straight to the Edmonton locker room. The play led directly to a Dallas goal seconds later. Brown has tallied eight points (five goals, three assists) this postseason and is a key member of of Edmonton's middle six. The 31-year old had not missed a game all season, but it's the second time this series his status has been questionable, as he was a game-time decision for Game 1. Advertisement The Oilers have not released an official update on Brown's availability for Game 4, but his absencse would be noticeable. If he's unavailable, the Oilers will have to make another adjustment, whether its shuffling around the third and fourth lines, or re-inserting Sam Gagner into the lineup. 3. Connor McDavid's late 2nd period goal shifted momentum Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images For nearly all of the second period, Dallas was playing its best stretch of hockey in the game, outshooting Edmonton by a whopping 21-7 and pulling to within 2-1. The Stars looked to enter the final period of regulation down just one, but McDavid had other plans. Advertisement With 18 seconds until intermission, a failed clear by Dallas found its way back to McDavid's stick. He walked it in and fired a shot past Oettinger blocker side to make it 3-1 as Rogers Place erupted. That goal was McDavid's second of the game and a huge turning point. Edmonton caried all the momentum into the third, and Dallas never recovered. The Oilers went on to score three unanswered goals to pull away and take their first lead of the series. What could have been a one-goal game, turned into a runaway in a matter of minutes.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'This is dirty': Fans furious at the Edmonton Oilers after Roope Hintz gets slashed again in Oilers-Stars' Game 4
Dallas Stars' Roope Hintz had injured himself after the Edmonton Oilers' Darnell Nurse slashed him on the foot in Game 2 on Friday. While the injury generated a lot of conversation, it seems like history might have repeated itself again. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Last night, the Edmonton Oilers secured their third consecutive win against the Dallas Stars in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Western Conference Final but it seems like Roope Hintz injured himself again. Roope Hintz was slashed on the foot again last night and now, fans are furious Videos from Game 4 between the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars have gone viral where the Edmonton Oilers' Evan Bouchard was seen slashing Roope Hintz on his foot again before he went back to his bench. While the Dallas Stars have remained silent this time, the video has sparked major outrage among fans. A fan commented, 'Absolutely shi*ty behavior I hope your pillow is warm and gross', while another fan wrote, 'Call me soft or whatever but I think this is so dirty & awful.' A third fan wrote, 'Honestly, targeting injuries like this should be a game misconduct', while another user posted, 'the next time y'all get pissy about your favorite team not disclosing injuries remember this video lol' A fifth fan noted, 'Once again, the Oilers prove to have some of the worst players in terms of character in the league', while another fan wrote, 'SCUMBAG! Someone needs to send Evan Bouchard to the shadow realm for a bit. Zero response from Hintz or the stars. What happened to this team? They just take the abuse and no response.' A seventh fan posted, 'That's such a b*tch move lmao. Oilers fans can't say shit about anything anymore' While the Dallas Stars have remained silent since last night, on Friday, the Stars' coach, Pete DeBoer, said, "I'll answer your question with a question…Does anyone in this room think if Connor McDavid gets carried off the ice like that, it's not a five-minute major?" Currently, neither the captain of the Edmonton Oilers, Connor McDavid nor the team's coach has issued a statement regarding the incident. The Dallas Stars has also not spoken about the extent of Roope Hintz's injury yet after last night's incident. Also Read:
Edmonton Journal
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
The Edmonton Oilers make Pink Pony Club part of their playoff lore
Article content It has become such a part of this playoff run that the crowd of 18,000-plus at Rogers Place belted out 'Pink Pony Club' during Game 3. But how did this song become the Oilers' playoff anthem? That's a closely guarded secret. 'We're going to keep that one within the team,' said Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard. Goalie Calvin Pickard, who was in net for the team's first six playoff triumphs of 2025 before falling to injury, offered little more. 'I don't know if I can tell people that story, can I?' said Pickard. 'Well, I know exactly where it started, but I don't know if I want to let that secret out. I know exactly when, because I was there.. But, I think I am going to keep it tight to the chest. But does Pickard like the song? 'Yeah, it's great,' he said. 'We rally around it, for sure. My kids love it, and it seems like the city loves it, too.' The fact that a lot of the sportswriters in the dressing room hadn't heard of the song until the playoff run is a sign that a lot of us need to get out more. For those of you who have been living under a rock, Roan's song has become more than the sum of its parts. It's about a girl who moves from a small town to pursue her dreams in Los Angeles, but ends up dancing at a club, The fact that she knows her mother would be aghast with her life choices suggests that the venue in question is indeed a strip club, but her line 'and I heard there's a special place, where boys and girls can all be queens every single day' has also made it anthem for the Queer community, and just about any kid who feels he, she or they simply don't fit in. There was a Chappell Roan-themed drag night held at an Edmonton nightclub in the fall of 2024. It's a pop song, but it might be the most unintentionally punk-rock anthem of this generation. Honestly, no one would have batted an eyelash had these lyrics been sung by Kurt Cobain.
National Post
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
Oilers' Evan Bouchard exercising an all-round game in Ekholm's absence
Article content Evan Bouchard has been a yin without a yang in these playoffs. Article content Article content A Lilo without a Stitch. Article content Some things just go together, like peanut butter and jelly. Article content For the majority of the past two seasons, Bouchard has filled the Edmonton Oilers top defensive pairing alongside Mattias Ekholm. Article content And their playing styles are like oil and water, only in the Paula Abdul sense of opposites attract. Article content Bouchard's offensive-minded blue-line duties have kept him No. 3 in team points behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl— quite a feat for any forward, let alone a defenceman. And it was Ekholm's stay-at-home-style of defensive play that allowed for that dynamic, as the two complemented each other on the ice. Article content It just worked. Well, for the most part, anyway. Bouchard still suffered from defensive gaffs, which only seemed to be highlighted whenever Ekholm was out of the lineup. And this year, that meant for most of the playoff stretch, as he has yet to suit up for a game this post-season. Article content But here's the thing. Despite Ekholm's absence, Bouchard has been taking on a leadership role at both blue lines, as the defensive unit has banded together like nobody's business to cut down on scoring chances, block shots and deliver some physical domination the likes of which Edmonton fans haven't seen in decades … if ever. Article content Sure, opposing teams have earned their fair share of goal against the Oilers in these playoffs. They sit third-most among playoff teams with 41, behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (42) and their Western Conference final opponents, the Dallas Stars (50). But they have also posted a trio of Stuart Skinner shutouts along the way, not to mention Sunday's 6-1 win in Game 3. Article content Article content And along the way, Bouchard has also kept up his offensive prowess, currently tied for the team lead with Draisaitl at six playoff goals apiece, and third in points with 17. Article content Article content That gives Bouchard 19 goals in 67 playoff games, with his next one potentially putting him in illustrious company with Paul Coffey (48 games), Brian Leetch (49), Bobby Orr (50), Dennis Potvin (52), Al MacInnis (70) and Paul Reinhart (70) games, who reached the milestone in 70 games or fewer. Article content Four of those goals came in back-to-back pairs in Games 3 and 4 to help the Oilers tie their opening-round series against the Los Angeles Kings 2-2. Otherwise their quest for the Cup might have been over almost as soon as it started. Article content 'I think he's playing the way I've always said that he is,' said Ekholm, who is looking to make a return to the lineup at some point against the Stars. 'He's really taken on the defensive role too, right? He's always had the knack for offence, the knack for scoring, but I think that the way that he's been defending right now has been amazing.
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How the Edmonton Oilers are diminishing criticism that they lack a rugged edge
For several years running, there have been whispers (some louder than others) suggesting the Edmonton Oilers can be distracted from winning games with rugged play and heavy hits. It's a criticism that arises specifically when discussing defensive retrievals and outlets after opponents dump the puck in and race for possession. Advertisement How rampant is the belief that Edmonton can be intimidated in this area? Last spring, an anonymous scout informed Harman Dayal and Chris Johnston at The Athletic about a key area his team could exploit: 'The easiest way to shut down the Oilers is preventing McDavid from picking up steam in the neutral zone. The way you prevent McDavid from picking up steam is to mess with the way they do their breakouts and (defensive zone) exits. That starts with their retrievals. Ekholm, good f—-ing player, but he can't make plays on his backhand and Bouchard won't retrieve the puck (in the corners).' That quote is over a year old. Does it still apply? The organization addressed the need for puck movers during the winter. General manager Stan Bowman added a veteran defenceman, John Klingberg, via free agency in mid-January and traded for another, Jake Walman, at the deadline in early March. Both men are solid at retrieval and outlets. The Oilers are improved in this area, with Evan Bouchard's recent performance in the series versus the Vegas Golden Knights suggesting the offence-first defender is maturing into a more complete player. He's making good decisions and using the time available to settle things down. It's helping the Oilers stay organized and means less running about in panic mode. Bouchard is improving in coverage. That includes winning battles along the wall. A recent example came during overtime of Game 2 against Vegas. Bouchard made an exceptional defensive play that involved a rugged physical exchange (ending Mark Stone's progress down right wing and into the Oilers' zone). He separated player from puck and rang it around the boards; Corey Perry retrieved, sent a deft pass to Connor McDavid, and the winner in overtime came seconds later. That kind of play, using physicality and skill long before the Oilers have to defend the net, is more common this spring with Bouchard. It's an emerging story, and if Bouchard delivers another quality series in this part of the game, he will be something close to complete as a player. Advertisement Another quote from the Dayal and Johnston article, from the same scout: 'We had a good meeting about that before we played Edmonton. We executed that strategy perfectly and we just abused them. If I'm going up against the Oilers and I identify that vulnerability, that is what I'm going after.' In this year's playoffs, the defensive tandems are showing impressive ability to retrieve pucks, get a quick pass to safety and then outlet through the neutral zone for offensive opportunities at the other end. Years ago, then-Los Angeles Kings coach Daryl Sutter said, 'The big thing in today's game is you have to be able to forecheck and backcheck, and you have to have the puck. You can't give the puck up. We don't play in our zone, so there's not much defending. I've coached in three decades now and this stuff where they said Marian had to play in Jacques's system is a bunch of bull-crap. The game's changed. They think there's defending in today's game. Nah, it's how much you have the puck. Teams that play around in their own zone think they're defending but they're generally getting scored on or taking faceoffs and they need a goalie to stand on his head if that's the way they play.' That's the template for these Oilers, with Bouchard and his partner making that retrieval/outlet sequence consistently. The second pair of Walman and Klingberg has also been an effective tandem in moving the puck quickly. As has been the case forever, when the Oilers defend, out come the snow angels, the trips to the penalty box and fishing the puck out of the back of the net. This Oilers team is doing less of it, and those battles won, followed by expert passing, are a big part of team success. Using expected goals-against per 60 at five-on-five, we can compare Edmonton's defence from a year ago (the defence that inspired the quotes above) to this year's team. Here are the numbers year over year. Notice the marked improvement for Darnell Nurse: All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick These are the numbers for the first two rounds (12 games) from one year ago, and all of this year. Looking at 2024, it's easy to spot the top pairing (Ekholm-Bouchard) as it delivered strong GA-60 and expected numbers. The second pairing (Nurse with Cody Ceci) had some troubles in the postseason one year ago, with Nurse's actual GA-60 (4.35) an outlier compared to the rest of the group. Brett Kulak played well and ran some luck, as evidenced by the difference between expected and actual goals surrendered. Vincent Desharnais earned a better fate than the hockey Gods allowed in the first two rounds last spring. Advertisement Looking back at last year, coach Kris Knoblauch and his staff had a clear first-, second- and third-pairing rotation, but it's worth noting even the fifth and sixth defencemen played a significant amount last season. This season, the coaching staff has been less democratic in ice time usage, with Ty Emberson being faded far more than anyone in the top six one year ago. The overall impact of the puck retrieval/winning battles model employed currently by Edmonton is an improvement in the expected goals number defensively. Part of the new structure involves the centre coming down deeper into the defensive end to offer an attractive outlet, and these tweaks are working. Expected goals (all numbers five-on-five) give us some idea about where things are trending. Oilers defencemen delivered solid expected GA-60 versus Los Angeles, but the actual GA-60 was much higher for several feature defenders. Bouchard's GA-60 (5.44) in that series was miles past expected (2.11 GA-60); Nurse's GA-60 in the series against the Kings (4.33) also ran out of time with expected (2.55) results. In the series against the Golden Knights, Bouchard's gap (1.17 GA-60 compared to 2.03 expected) showed regression (the good kind) as the young puck mover showed calm feet and good decisions. Nurse's totals against Vegas (2.25 GA-60 to 2.31 expected) were close enough to perfect as a match. The second pairing this spring (Walman and Klingberg) owns a 1.98 expected GA-60 and a 1.27 actual GA-60. If that continues, the Oilers will be a load in the conference final at five-on-five. The Oilers are moving the puck quickly, winning more battles and spending less energy chasing. Management added a completely new pairing (Walman-Klingberg), and it has helped Bouchard find his way in recent games. If those calm feet and renewed maturity are real enough to last the spring, Bouchard will receive Conn Smythe Trophy consideration at the end of the day. Advertisement The Dallas Stars offer a new challenge. These Oilers have adjusted from one year ago, and the team's most recent series is a shining example of a team adjusting by playing less defence. It's an important improvement for the Oilers. Can these defencemen sustain the effective performance in puck retrieval? The 'Bouchard won't retrieve the puck in the corners' verbal is giving way to talk of Bouchard's impressive elusiveness in getting pucks out without taking the big hit. Narratives are fashioned to support evidence. As long as Bouchard continues his impressive play with and without the puck, the storyline will be about progress, maturity and impact in all areas of the game. (Photo of Mark Stone and Evan Bouchard: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
