The Vancouver Canucks will officially be getting reinforcements at the forward position at a crucial time, with the latest injury update confirming the inevitable: Brock Boeser is officially back in the lineup and will play against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.
Boeser, 27, missed each of the last seven games due to a concussion he sustained after taking an illegal check to the head from Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Jeannot on Nov. 7. After receiving a match penalty for the play, Jeannot was suspended three games by the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Rick Tocchet confirms that Brock Boeser will play tonight vs Bruins. Max Sasson is the forward coming out for Canucks.
— Iain MacIntyre (@imacSportsnet) November 26, 2024
Tocchet said Sasson was tough decision, doesn’t “deserve” to come out. Coach said he told Sasson to stay ready, could play tomorrow in Pittsburgh.
With fellow forward J.T. Miller, defenseman Derek Forbort, and goalie Thatcher Demko all still out indefinitely, the Canucks will take all the help they can get. In the seven games Boeser missed with his injury, the Canucks managed only to go 3-4-0.
Where Brock Boeser fits in new-look Canucks lineup
Based on the Canucks' lines in practice, Boeser will feature on a line that is a little bit of a different speed than what he was used to. Centering Boeser will be the versatile Teddy Blueger, and on the other wing will be bottom-six sharpshooter Danton Heinen.
By putting Boeser here, head coach Rick Tocchet will be able to keep together the top unit of Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson, and Kiefer Sherwood. Ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Bruins, the third line looks like it will be Dakota Joshua, Pius Suter, and Conor Garland, with the fourth line consisting of Arshdeep Bains, Aatu Raty, and Nils Hoglander.
In addition, it appears that Boeser will retain his usual spot on the Canucks' top power play unit, which has been up and down a little bit in recent games. Overall, the Canucks are 15th in the NHL in power play percentage at 20.3%. Considering only seven teams are scoring above a 23% clip, the Canucks don't look so bad. Boeser's return will almost assuredly help inch the Canucks back towards the top of the list.