Canucks Recap: 3 stars of the past week (Jan 29th – Feb 4th)

3. Brock Boeser

From the moment the 2020-21 season was officially announced, Brock Boeser knew that he needed to arrive hungry at training camp, ready to prove that he’s still one of the elite goal scorers in the league.

It hasn’t been the prettiest comeback performance so far, but, for the most part, he hasn’t disappointed.

After registering a goal and two assists in the final outing of their mini three-game series against the Senators last week, Boeser continued displaying his offensive production, netting another two tallies against the Jets to start the club’s six-game road trip.

He currently leads the team in total goals, even-strength goals and shooting percentage, and is tied with defenceman Quinn Hughes for total points with 15.

Of course, it’s not all about statistics, and The Lotto Line would be the first to tell you that.

The Lotto Line, which comprises Boeser, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, has struggled mightily at times throughout the year.

They have not been able to perform nearly as close to what’s expected from them at both even strength or on the powerplay, and have looked flat and stagnant when going up against other team’s top players. They’ve created mistake after mistake in their own zone, with many of those blemishes ending up in the back of the net, and they need to be better.

With that being said, over the first 14 games of the season, Boeser has been the least disastrous piece of that first line.

He continues to improve on his 200-foot game and has shown flashes of defensive intelligence and strength, despite posting a minus-six rating overall. More importantly, it seems that Boeser has fully recovered from any nagging injuries that previously hindered his wicked release.

Following the completion of the Jets game, Boeser’s eight total tallies on the season were good enough for first in goals amongst all players in the NHL, ahead of offensive juggernauts like Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews. Although his position was quickly overtaken that same week by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named-In-Vancouver, his four multi-goal performances still stands atop the league list.

With 25% of the season already in the books, and with the Canucks slowly sinking into the depths of the all-Canadian division, Boeser and his linemates will need to learn from their mistakes and perform like the perennial all-stars that they are if they want their club to have any chance of succeeding. We need more vintage Lotto Line dominance, breaking ankles while cycling in the offensive zone, and Boeser can be the driving force to make this happen on a regular basis.

Plus, we’d all love to see more goals like this one:

Honourable Mention: Alex Edler

On Tuesday night, Alex Edler played his 885th game as a Canuck, passing Markus Naslund for 5th all-time in franchise history. Edler is currently the longest-serving player on the team and holds the record for most points by a defenceman with 401 (and counting).

The 34-year-old blueliner has one more year left on his current deal, and, barring any injuries, should be poised to pass Canuck-legend Stan Smyl this season to capture 4th all-time for games played.

Congratulations to Eddie the Eagle!

Upcoming games:

• Saturday, February 6th – Vancouver Canucks @ Toronto Maple Leafs (4:00pm PST)
• Monday, February 8th – Vancouver Canucks @ Toronto Maple Leafs (4:00pm PST)
• Thursday, February 11th – Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks (7:00pm PST)
• Saturday, February 13th – Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks (7:00pm PST)

Much like Ron Burgundy of Channel 4 News, Canucks fans have found themselves in a glass case of emotion these past few days.

Some have completely hopped off the bandwagon, stewing angrily in the dark corners of the Twitter world, smoke coming out of their ears, waiting for ownership to drop the hammer on management and/or the coaching staff. Others are taking a more positive approach to these times of turmoil, finding confidence in the smallest of pockets, hoping that their lads will eventually pull it all together to salvage the already partially-submerged season.

No matter what your current state of mind is, there is one thing that we can all agree on from this past week, as summed up beautifully by our very own Joshua Rey:

Who do you think played well during the past four games? Make sure to drop a comment below!