Evan Bouchard made NHL history in the Edmonton Oilers’ 2026-27 season opener by becoming the first defenseman ever to record five points in an NHL season-opening game.
Bouchard scored three goals and added two assists in Edmonton’s wild 6-5 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks on September 29, 2026. He recorded a point on all five Oilers goals. [Reuters] [Oilers]
The five-point performance was only part of the history. Bouchard also became just the third defenseman in NHL history to score a hat trick in a season opener, joining Bert Corbeau of the Montreal Canadiens in 1919-20 and Mark Howe of the Hartford Whalers in 1980-81. [Field Level Media]
What Record Did Evan Bouchard Set?
Bouchard became the first NHL defenseman ever to produce five points in a team’s opening game of a season. [Reuters]
His final stat line was:
- Goals: 3
- Assists: 2
- Points: 5
- Result: Canucks 6, Oilers 5 in overtime
All five Edmonton goals involved Bouchard, making his performance even more unusual for a defenseman.
Was Five Points An NHL Record For Any Player In A Season Opener?
No. It was a record specifically for a defenseman.
Bouchard’s five points are the most ever by an NHL defenseman in a season opener, but at least one forward has produced more.
Kevin Stevens of the Pittsburgh Penguins recorded six points — two goals and four assists — in Pittsburgh’s 1990-91 season opener on October 5, 1990. [Oilers Nation]
Bouchard therefore established the blue-line record rather than the overall NHL record.
How Did Bouchard Score His Hat Trick?
Bouchard scored once in every period.
His first goal came at 16:26 of the first period, when he fired a long wrist shot past Vancouver goalie Kevin Lankinen to tie the game 1-1. [Field Level Media]
He scored again at 14:34 of the second period, finishing from the slot to tie the game 2-2.
His third goal came at 9:20 of the third period, just 24 seconds after Vasily Podkolzin had scored for Edmonton. Bouchard sent a long shot through traffic to complete the hat trick and cut Vancouver’s lead from 5-2 to 5-4. [NHL Video] [Field Level Media]
Who Were The Other Defensemen To Score An Opening-Night Hat Trick?
Before Bouchard, only two NHL defensemen had ever scored three goals in a season opener:
- Bert Corbeau — Montreal Canadiens, 1919-20
- Mark Howe — Hartford Whalers, 1980-81
- Evan Bouchard — Edmonton Oilers, 2026-27
That means Bouchard was the first NHL defenseman to accomplish it in 46 years. [Sportsnet] [Field Level Media]
Was It Bouchard’s First NHL Hat Trick?
No.
The Vancouver performance was the second hat trick of Bouchard’s NHL career. [NHL]
Hat tricks by defensemen are relatively uncommon because blue-liners normally spend less time in prime scoring areas than forwards.
Bouchard is different because of his elite shot, his role on Edmonton’s power play and the freedom he receives to create offense from the blue line.
Did Bouchard Set An Oilers Record Too?
Yes.
Bouchard became the first defenseman in Edmonton Oilers history to score multiple goals in a season opener. [AP]
He went considerably beyond that by scoring three goals and producing five total points.
How Rare Is A Four-Point Opener For A Defenseman?
Even getting to four points is rare.
The Associated Press reported that Bouchard became only the third defenseman in the past 30 years to record at least four points in a season-opening game. [AP]
Bouchard then pushed the mark to five, something no defenseman had previously done in NHL history.
How Did Bouchard Get His Two Assists?
Bouchard also assisted on both of Podkolzin’s third-period goals as Edmonton erased a three-goal deficit.
Vancouver had taken a 5-2 lead just 5:15 into the third period after goals by Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Max Sasson and Elias Pettersson.
Podkolzin began Edmonton’s comeback at 8:56. Bouchard scored 24 seconds later, and Podkolzin tied the game on a power play with 42.5 seconds remaining in regulation. [Sportsnet]
Because Bouchard assisted on both Podkolzin goals in addition to scoring three himself, he finished with a point on every Edmonton goal.
Did The Oilers Win Despite Bouchard’s Five Points?
No.
That was the strange part of the performance.
Edmonton rallied from a 5-2 third-period deficit to force overtime, but Vancouver’s Paul Cotter scored 1:59 into the extra period to give the Canucks a 6-5 victory. [NHL]
Cotter forced a turnover in the Edmonton zone and finished a feed from Max Sasson for the game-winner.
So Bouchard produced one of the greatest opening-night performances ever by an NHL defenseman and still finished on the losing side.
How Did Vancouver Build A 5-2 Lead?
The teams entered the third period tied 2-2.
Vancouver then scored three times in barely four minutes.
Lekkerimäki made it 3-2 just 1:10 into the period. Sasson extended the lead 1:45 later, and Pettersson scored on the power play at 5:15 to make it 5-2. [Sportsnet]
Edmonton’s comeback began less than four minutes later.
Why Is Bouchard So Dangerous Offensively?
Bouchard possesses one of the NHL’s hardest and most dangerous shots from the blue line.
Edmonton regularly uses him as the point man on a power-play unit featuring Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, giving him opportunities to shoot through screens or distribute the puck to elite finishers.
He is also unusually aggressive offensively for a defenseman, frequently joining attacks or moving deeper into the offensive zone when opportunities develop.
Those qualities have helped turn him from a talented prospect into one of the league’s most productive offensive defensemen.
How Good Was Evan Bouchard In 2025-26?
Bouchard entered the new season after the best offensive year of his career.
He recorded 21 goals and 74 assists for 95 points in 82 games during the 2025-26 regular season. [Sportsnet]
That established career highs in goals, assists and points and put him among the NHL’s most productive defensemen.
His five-point opener immediately placed him atop the defenseman scoring race after the first night of the 2026-27 season.
Who Is Evan Bouchard?
Bouchard is a Canadian defenseman from Oakville, Ontario.
The Oilers selected him with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
Known particularly for his powerful slap shot and offensive instincts, he gradually became a major part of Edmonton’s attack and eventually took over as the quarterback of the Oilers’ top power-play unit.
How Important Is Bouchard To Connor McDavid And Leon Draisaitl?
Bouchard gives Edmonton’s superstar forwards an additional offensive threat from the blue line.
Opposing penalty killers cannot focus exclusively on McDavid and Draisaitl because leaving Bouchard unattended creates shooting lanes from the point.
His passing also allows him to quickly move the puck back to Edmonton’s forwards after defenders collapse toward him.
McDavid finished the season opener with two assists but no shots on goal, while Bouchard became Edmonton’s primary scorer. [Sportsnet]
That illustrated how Bouchard can sometimes become the offensive focal point when opponents devote additional attention to Edmonton’s superstar forwards.
Was Bouchard The First Star Of The Game?
Yes.
Despite Edmonton’s loss, Bouchard’s three goals and two assists earned him first-star honors. [Sportsnet]
It is unusual for a player from the losing team to receive that distinction, but a five-point hat trick from a defenseman was difficult to overlook.
Why Was The Game Significant For Vancouver?
The night also represented the beginning of a new era for the Canucks.
Vancouver had finished last in the NHL in 2025-26 with a 25-49-8 record and entered the new season under head coach Manny Malhotra.
The 6-5 victory was Malhotra’s first regular-season win as an NHL head coach. [AP]
Cotter, another offseason addition, also became the first player in Canucks history to score a short-handed goal in his debut for Vancouver. [AP]
What Does Bouchard’s Record Mean?
A five-point game is exceptional for any NHL player.
For a defenseman to do it in the first game of the season — while also scoring a hat trick — had never happened before.
Bouchard therefore left Edmonton’s opener with several historical distinctions:
- First defenseman in NHL history with five points in a season opener.
- Third defenseman in NHL history with a season-opening hat trick.
- First defenseman to score an opening-night hat trick since Mark Howe in 1980.
- First Oilers defenseman with multiple goals in a season opener.
- Only the third NHL defenseman in the past 30 years with at least four points in a season opener.
The only thing missing was a victory.
Edmonton erased a 5-2 deficit behind Bouchard’s historic performance, but Cotter’s overtime goal turned one of the greatest opening nights ever by an NHL defenseman into a 6-5 Oilers loss.
Watch Evan Bouchard’s Hat Trick
The NHL has official video of all three Bouchard goals from the season opener against Vancouver. [NHL Video]
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