Oilers HC doesn't mince words about Evan Bouchard's performance in 4-2 loss to bottom-placed NY Islanders

Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch shared his thoughts on defenceman Evan Bouchard’s costly turnover in Thursday’s 4-2 loss to the last-place New York Islanders.

The Islanders got their first win and have a 1-3-0 record. While the Oilers' record dropped to 2-1-1.

Bouchard’s turnover in the neutral zone late in the first period led to a goal from Mathew Barzal, who beat goalie Stuart Skinner high glove side.

When asked about Bouchard’s performance, Knoblauch said (1:32 onwards):

“I’ve seen Evan play better.”

Pressed further on whether Bouchard’s offensive upside means the team has to live with some defensive mistakes, Knoblauch said:

"No, it's not. We cannot just accept that. There's mistakes, mistakes happen, but I guess you have to address what type of mistakes are happening.

"Evan's a fantastic player, one of the best in the league, certainly one of the best defenseman in the NHL. Tonight was not his night, but I've always seen him respond and play much better after games like this."

Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got goals, while Skinner made 21 saves for the Oilers. For the Islanders, Bo Horvat netted a hat trick and David Rittich stopped 30 shots.

Knoblauch said that it is important to fix mistakes as a team:

“Giving up odd-man rushes is definitely one of those areas. So are the penalties — we can’t be killing as often as we were tonight.”

Knoblauch also admitted that the Oilers weren’t prepared for the Islanders’ intensity.

Oilers' Mattias Ekholm defends Evan Bouchard

Ekholm acknowledged Evan Bouchard's mistake, but also said people need to recognize the high-end skill he brings to the team. Ekholm said (1:22 onwards):

“I'm sure he knows that he could have made some other decisions tonight, but I know that there's other games and you saw the other night when he's just pulling through a defender or their forward and just makes everybody look silly and thinks that I wouldn't even think of.”

Ekholm praised Bouchard’s ability to move on from mistakes and he expects to see a sharper version of Bouchard when the Oilers take on the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.