Kris Knoblauch opines on Evan Bouchard’s ugly defensive error leading to Tage Thompson goal

Evan Bouchard’s season has been defined by elite offensive output paired with some moments of defensive volatility, and Tuesday’s loss added another example of that contrast.

Midway in the second period, a puck retrieval turned into an immediate Buffalo Sabres goal when Bouchard tried to move the puck under pressure at the goal line, mishandled it and Tage Thompson immediately converted.

From there, the Edmonton Oilers were chasing the game and Kris Knoblauch addressed the sequence afterward with the kind of composed approach that reflects how the staff views a player who drives so much of their attack but still struggles with high-leverage mistakes.

Kris Knoblauch points out Evan Bouchard’s self-awareness on mistakes

The Oilers head coach made it clear that incidents like this are usually kept for the next-day evaluation. He made it clear that ripping into Bouchard on the bench or between periods accomplishes nothing especially when the player already understands the breakdown.

“Mostly a conversation the next day about what had happened on the play. To tear a strip off them in between periods or on the bench I don’t think is productive. He knows he made a mistake. He knows that that’s not the right play,” Knoblauch said.

Bouchard, in Knoblauch’s eyes, has enough self-awareness to recognize exactly what went wrong.

“And it’d be different if Evan didn’t care, if Evan didn’t feel that he believed that he didn’t make a mistake, but he has pretty good self-awareness that he understands what happened on the play.”

So far this season, Bouchard has been producing at a near point-per-game pace sitting among the league leaders in defenceman scoring. 

Knoblauch not happy with Oilers’ hesitation to shoot

The Oilers eventually found life in the third period of the night scoring three times after a quiet first forty minutes. Knoblauch attributed the late surge to a jump in urgency and pace. Earlier in the night, shift length crept up and line changes weren’t timed properly which disrupted the flow of the team’s game.

In the third, Edmonton moved the puck more quickly and played more in the offensive zone with fresh legs coming over the boards.

Despite long stretches of puck control early, the Oilers repeatedly passed up clean looks. Knoblauch said the hesitation was noticeable:

“I can think of probably up to 10 times we had the puck in the slot and we didn’t take a shot… Anytime you get into that dangerous ice you should be looking to shoot… and I thought we did it way too many times, at least half a dozen times.”

Special teams, normally the Oilers’ safety net, couldn’t save them this time. Edmonton went 0/4 on the power play missing the spark that often breaks games open. Knoblauch acknowledged it was a rare off-night for a unit that typically delivers.

“We have a great power play… but to expect them to do it every single night is kind of far-fetched,” he said.

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Oilers have “nothing to panic” about per Knoblauch

After the loss, the Oilers currently sit in the middle of the Pacific Division with a record of 13–11–5. When asked about the team’s struggles over the last couple of games, Head Coach Kris Knoblauch acknowledged the uneven start.

“Overall I thought we did a pretty good job.” He noted that discipline had been a factor explaining, “I don’t like the fact that we took six penalties and that took away a lot of our game.”

Knoblauch also stressed the importance of consistency for a team aiming to compete at the top level and that they have nothing yet to be concerned about.

“But to be one of the best, you’ve got to be able to consistently do that. So I think it’s one game over the last few weeks, but I think we’ve got nothing to panic about right now.”

Next up, the Oilers will host the Detroit Red Wings at Rogers Place on Thursday, December 11, 2025.

Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire

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