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x - In No Particular Order: Bouchard, Suspensions, Goalies, Matchups

May 5, 2021, 11:54 AM ET [14 Comments]
Sean Maloughney
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Today let's take some time and look at some of the Oilers related news, the NHL as a whole, and whatever else pops into my strange little mind.

BOUCHARD DOESN'T MISS A STEP

While much of the season has been positive for the Edmonton Oilers, one area of contention has been the handling of Evan Bouchard. The 21 year old right shot defenseman had only appeared in 12 games leading up to last night and hadn't seen game action for over 2 months. Many questioned why he had not been sent down to the AHL to get in game action. Reportedly the decision ultimately fell to Bouchard who said he would rather practice with the Oilers regularly and be available should an injury occur.

With the Oilers having officially clinched a playoff spot, Tippett gave a few players who were banged up some rest including Ethan Bear which gave Bouchard a chance to slide in once more. The big man did not miss a step, playing almost 15 minutes at even strength, registering two hits and scoring a powerplay goal.

If it was not for the Oilers current right side, Bouchard would be an NHL regular right now. He may be the best passer on the Oilers backend right now and his shot is deadly. I expect to see Bouchard in at least another two games before the end of the season. Next season I would expect Tyson Barrie to move on for a more lucrative deal and for Bouchard to take his place seamlessly.

TIME TO TALK ABOUT SUSPENSIONS AGAIN

I'm not going to spend much time talking about Tom Wilson here but yes there absolutely should have been a suspension on the play. I have stated before and not just in defense of Connor McDavid but for superstars across the league; the NHL is the worst league in sports at protecting it's star players.

It will be interesting to see what, if anything comes out of the Rangers statement against the Head of Player Safety, George Parros. Whether the Rangers decision to publicly make a statement was the correct decision can certainly be up for debate but the fact remains that teams across the league are clearly frustrated with how decisions have been handled. Wholesale change needs to occur in some regard.

On that note, let's bring up Adam Larsson's hit last night on Quinn Hughes:


In my opinion that should be worthy of a suspension for at least a game or two. It was a highly dangerous play and there is no reason Larsson should ever have his elbows up that high on another player. Larsson was given a 2 minute minor for the call and as of the time of writing this there is no word that Larsson will receive a call from the league on the play.

GOALIES ABOUND

Another day, likely after the playoffs have finished we are going to have to take a long hard look at whether or not the Oilers should extend Mike Smith for another season. The now 39 year old netminder has been brilliant all season for the Oilers, currently posting a 0.925SV% in 29 games.

Instead of talking about Smith or even Mikko Koskinen, we are instead going to turn our heads towards the future and look at two goalie prospects. First up is Ilya Konovalov, the 22 year old netminder drafted in the 2019 NHL draft and was just extended for 2 years by the Edmonton Oilers.

The Russian goalie is playing in his fourth season for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv in the KHL and continues to trend upwards. This year he has posted a 0.923SV% in 19 games and a 2.29GAA. His worst season was last year where he posted a 0.912SV%. Prior to that he posted a .930SV% and was named the KHL rookie of the year.

For those unfamiliar with Konovalov, he is not your typical NHL goaltender. He stands at 5'11 which immediately stands out among the hulking 6'4 and taller goalies around the NHL. Instead of relying on his size, Konovalov has been praised for his extreme levels of athleticism and strong positioning which have clearly helped him. A comparable for Konovalov in terms of style and play could be Dallas Stars netminder Anton Khudobin who also stands at 5'11.

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Moving back to North America, the Oilers have another goalie prospect with a potential NHL future in Stuart Skinner. Also 22, Skinner stands out a bit more as your typical goalie coming in at 6'4. Skinner was drafted by the Oil in 2017 and has spent most of his time in the AHL with moderate success. This has been a breakout year for Skinner as he has posted a 0.917SV%, 4th among goalies who have played at least 10 games and a 2.30GAA, also 4th in that category.

Neither goalie should be expected to be an NHL option for at least another two seasons but their names should be added to a list of impressive propsects up front and on defense that should help the Oilers compete over the next decade.

WHO DO YOU TAKE?

At this time it is all but guaranteed that the Edmonton Oilers are going to finish second in the division and secure home ice advantage. There is a slight chance they can surpass the Toronto Maple Leafs but that remains highly unlikely. For a time it seemed a guarantee that the Oilers first round opponent would be the Winnipeg Jets but since then the Jets have absolutely plummeted with seven straight losses and are now tied with the Canadiens.

For me it seems obvious that if the Oilers can pick their matchup they would want the Jets. The Oilers have dominated Winnipeg all season and while Edmonton is red hot right now, the Jets are ice cold and it's difficult for any team to turn that switch right before the post season begins.

Right now with how the Oilers have played I wouldn't be as cocky to state I am not worried about the Canadiens, but I do believe Edmonton is the superior team despite what the head to head results have shown. The two games remaining against Montreal will be very telling. If the Canadiens can continue to shut down the top guys as they have done prior a Montreal matchup might actually be worse for the Oilers than a Toronto one.

Those two games against Montreal will be crucial as it will not only test Edmonton against the Canadiens, but securing wins in those games may make it more likely that Winnipeg finishes ahead of Montreal and matches up against the Oilers in the post-season.

Thanks for reading
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