Canucks: 3 takeaways from the 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers

Brock Boeser, Nils Höglander continue to lead the way on the scoresheet

There’s always light to be found, even in the darkest of times, and both Brock Boeser and Nils Höglander continue to be those bright spots for this team.

The duo combined to open up the scoring just 34 seconds into the opening frame, with Höglander using his speed to come down the left flank before sending a perfect cross-crease pass to Boeser for the easy tap-in.

Höglander has fit in quite nicely since joining Boeser on the top line, with the pair often leading the way on the box score for most nights.

Höglander recorded five shots on goals during 19:21 of ice time on Tuesday night, while Boeser followed up with four shots of his own over 22 minutes. More importantly, both players were often tasked with the near-impossible assignment of containing McDavid while at even strength.

It also appears that Höglander and Boeser are have been complimenting each other’s style of play very well lately. The 20-year-old rookie continues to use his explosive speed, puck-handling skills and strength on the puck to create high-danger scoring chances in the offensive zone. He will often use his creative on-ice vision to try and spot available teammates, like Boeser, who can unleash lethal shots that will find the back of the net from almost any spot on the ice.

Since returning from their COVID-19 outbreak, the two players have combined for five goals and seven assists, essentially carrying the offensive load entirely on their young shoulders. Of course, it would be nice to see some of that production carry over into the powerplay, and for the two players to clean up some defensive fundamentals of their game, but we also can’t complain too much.

Without Boeser and Höglander’s production as of late, we’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who could actually put the puck into the back of the net.