With an assist on Evander Kane’s goal before netting one of his own, Evan Bouchard moved into second place among defensemen on the franchise’s scoring list, passing Charlie Huddy. Pretty impressive, but it’s even more impressive considering Bouchard has played 67 fewer postseason games than Huddy.
But, wait. There’s more.
Bouchard’s goal was the 20th of his postseason career in just 71 games. That matches Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar as the fastest active defenseman to that mark. Per the NHL, only six other blueliners hit that milestone quicker.
Bouchard added another secondary helper on the McDavid-to-Draisaitl jaw-dropping tally to cap a three-point night. He’s now up to 79 points in the playoffs, which ties him with teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for ninth on the franchise’s all-time list. Only Coffey, with 103 points, is ahead of him in terms of defensemen.
Bouchard got Conn Smythe Trophy votes last year when he recorded six goals and 32 points in 25 games. He’s at 21 points in 18 contests now and will certainly garner consideration again if he continues his strong play in this series.
“A little slow start, but I like the way it’s going,” Bouchard said before the game about his production. “I like where I’m at right now and still more to give.”
All he’s got to do is watch the retaliation penalties, of which he took two in this game.
