Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back with a 5-2 win against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. This came after a 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens the night before. The team played well, but Evan Bouchard’s solo goal stood out as the highlight.
Bouchard scored early in the game, showing great skill and composure. He skated through the neutral zone, toe-dragged past Thomas Chabot, and lifted the puck over Linus Ullmark’s glove. The goal showed his patience and confidence, earning praise from Connor McDavid.
“Beautiful goal, beautiful goal,” McDavid said after the game. “Boucha is a great player. So patient with it. Never in a rush. You could see, you can see both those things on that goal, beautiful move and a beautiful finish.”
McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Bouchard each had three points in the game. McDavid scored twice and added an assist, while Draisaitl and Bouchard both recorded a goal and two assists. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored, and Vasily Podkolzin contributed two assists. Stuart Skinner made 27 saves for Edmonton.
The Oilers capitalized on Bouchard’s early goal and controlled the game from the start. Connor McDavid scored twice in the first period, including a 5-on-3 power-play goal. Draisaitl added another in the second, breaking through the defense and scoring on a backhand. Nugent-Hopkins finished it off in the third with a redirect from Derek Ryan’s pass, making it 5-1.
The Senators managed two goals, one from Tim Stutzle and another from Josh Norris. However, Edmonton controlled the game and responded strongly after their previous loss.
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Vasily Podkolzin, who had 3 assists in the previous 19 games, was in question due to his performance. He was logging around 14 minutes of ice time, but he was still failing to score.
In the game against the Ottawa Senators, Podkolzin was outstanding with the puck passing. He recorded two assists with a plus-minus-two rating in 16 minutes of ice time. Talking about Podkolzin's performance, Oilers captain Connor McDavid pointed towards him contributing to the team beyond numbers.
"Great. Honestly, it’s the numbers aren't showing." McDavid said on Podkolzin's performance, "You know, I know he hasn't scored and a lot has been made of that, but he works so hard keep so many pucks live, makes so many great little, subtle plays that, you know, the media doesn't love to write about, but are so important to you know, being a good line made, and I thought he played great."
The Oilers will play the Minnesota Wild next and try to improve their record from 10-8-2.