Seriously? I saw nothing really good from him today, he was mostly invisible. Only one Sens was good, it was Crookshank.
Yes. I was impressed with what I saw.
Boucher has mentioned in previous interviews that his objective is to make the team out of camp and from what I saw today he is doing all the things that will give him an extended look and provide him the opportunity to be in in consideration for a roster spot, all things considered.
He played with a lot of poise and composure. The most noticeable thing was how effective he was in the defensive zone; he did an excellent job of getting in shooting and passing lanes, disrupting plays and forcing turnovers. Frequently he would disrupt a play in the defensive zone, regain possession and either drive the play up the ice or make smart subtle plays that lead to the team getting out of the defensive zone. He demonstrated a very effective power game in the defensive zone where he would gain inside position, protect the puck and either drive out of the zone or make the pass to his teammate.
His speed and skating were on full display as nearly every time he had the puck he was able to drive the puck deep in the offensive zone. He won the majority of the 50/50 battles for the puck and did an excellent job supporting the puck carrier in order to facilitate sustained possession of the puck. He was very physical but played more of a structured game. He could have run around looking for big hits but instead he prioritized using his tools to help give the team the best chance to win by playing with solid positioning, making smart subtle plays and using his physicality to win puck battles and make plays. He still threw very hard hits that rattled the boards but he wasn't looking to run around as much.
From a physical perspective he already has a reputation as the Habs players were not comfortable holding onto the puck when he was near them. The opposition frequently looked to dish pucks as soon as he was near them. Rarely did any of them look to take a hit to make a play or risk taking a big hit to try to skate the puck up the ice when they knew he was on the ice potentially lining them up. His presence impacted how they played.
In the offensive zone, he won inside position in puck battles around the net and as a result put himself in a position to get quality shots off if other players could get him the puck. He had some good shots on net and was able to get help generate some sustained time in the offensive zone. With Lodin getting injured early, that had a big impact over the Sens ability to generate goals. Boucher may have been able to put himself into some more scoring positions if he had someone like Lodin who could dish him the puck. With Lodin out, Boucher played a responsible game and helped give the Sens a chance to win.
Personally, I see value in that. I like to see players understand what it takes to win games and look to implement that on the ice. It isn't all that flashy or exciting but it does have a big impact when enough players do it.
Seriously, hockey life would be boring without Habs/Leafs fans
