Edmonton Oilers may break up their most consistent strength
Photo credit: Sergei Belski - Imagn Images
With the team struggling to find consistency, head coach Kris Knoblauch is faced with the decision of whether to break-up his top defensive pairing of Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm.
Oilers' coach scrambling to find defensive chemistry among his top-D pairing
Ekholm-Bouchard were a pair for 13:27, 9-6 shots, 0-3 goals and 50 percent expected goals. The duo was 0-2 HDSC and for the season are 1-8 goals in 133 minutes together. I'm a fan of the tandem, but they need a breather with another defensive partner. I can argue bad luck, but only for so long. Oilers are 9-6 in five-on-five goals with both off the ice.
-Allan Mitchell
-Allan Mitchell
I've never been a fan of breaking-up a line just for the sake of it, trying to force a result that may not be there. Yet, nor would I keep a line together simply because it's worked in the past.
So far this year, the 1st D-pair of Bouchard and Ekholm have not clicked, and it shows in their stats and in how they look on the ice together. This may change, but for now they are a liability.
As early as the preseason, though the Oilers' D was rated as top in the league, the jury was still out on Bouchard.
Analyst Paul Pidutti of Daily Faceoff wasn't quite sure if Bouchard was all-around defender, but still believed his offensive impact when he's on the ice is elite.
«Bouchard's net impact continues to be divisive,» Pidutti wrote. «It shouldn't be. The 25-year-old is worthy of his first turn in the top five. Bouchard's aggressive style creates the odd memorable error. Visually, we often prefer 'safe' defensemen. But they quietly create turnovers the old-fashioned way - by rifling pucks off the glass or firing grenades in forwards' skates. With Bouchard on the ice, the play overwhelmingly tilts in Edmonton's favor. Counting the playoffs, he's plus-68 with 204 points in his last 210 games. The contributions of dynamic players of his unique archetype remain undervalued.»
Kris Knoblauch is now tasked with finding a D-partner with whom Bouchard has some chemistry, and to do so he must be paired with another defense partner.
When you have the talent and put in the work, however, these things have a way of working themselves out. Despite being only 4-4-1 to start, the Oilers could very well have a winning record in its first 10 games with a win against the Canucks.
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