Oilers’ Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard’s even-strength struggles threaten early playoff exit
Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard have not been able to elevate their game for the Edmonton Oilers, and as a result, the Anaheim Ducks have pushed the Oilers to the brink of elimination.
Oilers’ Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard’s even-strength struggles threaten early playoff exit originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . On Tuesday, the Edmonton Oilers face a season-defining moment as they try to avoid elimination in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks .
Trailing 3–1, Edmonton has little margin for error against a Ducks team that has translated its regular-season success into a commanding playoff performance. The Ducks spent much of the year atop the Pacific Division before slipping late in the season. Despite faltering before the playoffs, the Ducks have turned things around and have used their structure and defensive discipline to be particularly effective in neutralizing Edmonton’s high-powered stars.
Through the opening games of the series, Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard have struggled to generate their usual impact at even strength. Following Game 3, both players were tied with Ottawa’s Thomas Chabot for the worst even-strength goal differential among playoff skaters. Now they each sit at minus-4 with just two goals for and six against, according to naturalstattrick.
com . Although other players across the league have since dipped that mark below, the lack of improvement from Edmonton’s top contributors remains a major concern. MORE : The Oilers may be upset about a controversial goal call, but the Ducks are exposing familiar flaws That drop-off is even more striking when compared to their regular-season production, as Bouchard finished the regular season with a plus-29 even-strength goal differential, tying for 19th-best in the league.