Canucks Recap: 3 stars of the past week (Feb 12th – 19th)

1. Brock Boeser

Brock Boeser continues to put on a show.

The 23-year-old Minnesota native has easily been one of the best offensive producers for the Canucks this season, and he hasn’t shown signs of slowing down any time soon. He registered two goals and three assists over the past four games, including a three-point performance against the Flames on Wednesday night.

Boeser has established himself as one of the best right-wingers in the league and is still currently on pace to score over 30 goals this season. Even when he is not lighting up the scoresheet, he continues to create high-danger scoring opportunities every time he is on the ice, as indicated by his season-high seven shots last Saturday night.

Boeser is also proving that he can come up clutch when the Canucks need him the most.

He continues to be an integral component on the team’s first powerplay unit, with the ability to play on the flank or in front of the net, and has fully gained the trust from head coach Travis Green to be deployed in high-pressure, last-minute situations when his club is trying to claw back into the game when behind.

More importantly, Boeser has continued to put up impressive numbers without the help of his linemates.

It’s been no surprise that Vancouver’s top line struggled mightily at the beginning of the season. Both Elias Pettersson and J.T Miller have been inconsistent for the majority of this shortened campaign, often appearing like shadows of their former selves every time they step over the boards, and they haven’t held up their end of the deal nearly as much as they should be when it comes to putting up points.

Luckily for us, Boeser has picked up most of the slack.

And, like any good player, Boeser has made sure that the poor outings of his teammates haven’t affected his style of play.

He continues to hold onto a coveted spot in the top-10 scoring race, and is proving to everyone that he’s the most dangerous player on Vancouver’s top line, night in and night out.

Boeser is currently scoring at a point-per-game rate, having registered 21 points in 21 games, and his 12 tallies are good for second in league-scoring, right behind Auston Matthews. Although this pace might not be sustainable for the remainder of the season, especially when teams polish up their defensive inconsistencies to make one final playoff push, it’s great to see that Boeser is able to find the back of the net on his own, and that his lethal snapshot is back with a vengeance.

Just ask Jacob Markstrom.

Fortunately, both Pettersson and Miller are starting to regain their scoring touch as of late, which should ease Boeser’s workload and pressure down the road, but it’s important their current offensive prowess should definitely be credited primarily to Boeser. He continues to carry the weight of this trio on his shoulders, and he’s a big reason that they’re finding their way onto the scoresheet.

Had it not been for Boeser, teams that had once feared the Lotto Line would be able to dictate the pace and possession of the game much more when matched up against them, and their dominance in the offensive zone and ability to steal games would’ve disappeared just as quickly as Toronto’s 5-1 lead against the Senators last week (sorry, we had to).

There is no doubt that Boeser has become the elite, two-way, goal-scoring winger that we all expected him to become, and we’re all witnessing this evolution first-hand. Now, fans and management alike will just need to patiently wait until he takes home his first Rocket Richard Trophy.

Or should we say “Brock-et Richard”?