Bouchard

[Hunter9]

Whats up with Bouchard's ice time? It's been low this season, but 16min or lower 4 out of last 5 games.

Does everything look okay?

[2014olympicgold]

They're splitting the time up between the 3 pairs pretty evenly 5on5 recently.
Ceci/Nurse - 34.6%
Barrie/Kulak - 29.9%
Bouchard/Broberg - 24.3%
Random pairings - 11.2% and Bouchard on the ice makes up 5.9% of that

He doesn't kill penalties, and he gets minimal time on the PP with roughly 1min/game and it's the end of the 1st units time.

The last 5 games penalty kill opportunities the Oilers have taken:
@Chicago - 6 (12min)
vs Florida - 4 (8min)
@ NYR - 3 (6min)
@ NYI - 2 (4pim)
@ NJD - 3 (6pim)

The last 5 games powerplays the Oilers have had:
@Chicago - 4 (8pim)
vs Florida - 5 (10pim)
@ NYR - 3 (6pim)
@ NYI - 5 (10pim)
@ NJD - 4 (8pim)

So there's been a lot of shorthanded minutes, and a lot of powerplay minutes in the last 5 games.
5on5 minutes:
@ Chicago - 12pim+8pim-60min = 40 5on5 min (13:56min)
vs Florida - 8pim+10pim-60min = 42 5on5 min (15:47min)
@NYR - 6pim+6pim-60min = 48 5on5 min (14:09min)
@ NYI - 4pim+10pim-60min = 46 5on5 min (19:53min)
@ NJD - 6pmi+8pim-60min = 46 5on5 min (15:58min)

I think it's the fact his opportunities really only come 5on5, and that hasn't changed. But the Oilers are getting less 5on5 minutes as of recent. That jump in minutes in the NYI game was because he got powerplay time on the top unit. He was on the ice for 62.5% of the 5 powerplays (6:15minutes)

Long and short of it is he's getting roughly the same amount of 5on5 share as normal, it's that the 5on5 ice time is less.

[bbfl1987]

In the long run he’ll still be great. Will just require some patience.

[joeb323]

He’s definitely off to a slow start this year, but he recently scored his first 3 goals of the season and they were all clutch goals. I think that will really boost his confidence for a hopeful rebound