The Canucks have to move forward without their leading goalscorer.
The Vancouver Canucks knew before Monday that they’d be without right winger Brock Boeser for Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers. What they didn’t know was that Boeser will be out of the lineup for the remainder of the season should the Canucks advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Boeser was ruled out of Game 7 on Sunday after a blood clot developed in his leg following Saturday’s Game 6 loss. According to hockey insider Frank Seravalli, Boeser was placed on blood-thinning medication and is not expected to play again this season.
It’s a brutal loss for the Canucks who’ve survived to this point in the playoffs without starting goaltender Thatcher Demko. Though Demko could make a return if Vancouver advances to the Western Conference Final, it appears highly unlikely that Boeser will do the same.
The 27-year-old had the best regular season of his career in 2023-24, netting 40 goals with 33 assists to boot. He followed it with several standout performances in the playoffs, including a hat trick in Game 4 of the first round and a three-point display in a Canucks Game 3 win over the Oilers in this series.
Just as he did in the regular season, Boeser leads Vancouver with seven goals in 12 playoff games. He’s tied with J.T. Miller for the team lead with 12 points this postseason. Boeser has also been valuable on the defensive end against the Oilers, proving to be one of the Canucks’ most impactful players during this playoff run.
Blood clots are nothing to mess with and are not uncommon in hockey players. Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen missed over four months this season with a blood clot issue. The Canucks will no doubt proceed with caution hoping Brock Boeser can make a full recovery before next season.
Canucks facing do-or-die for first time this postseason
The Canucks may be shorthanded going into Game 7 against the Oilers, but they’ll like their chances of snatching a win in their biggest game of the season. Playing in front of a home crowd in Vancouver certainly helps, but the closeness of this series leaves little room for error in a must-win scenario.
Each of the first five games were decided by one goal with both teams putting together stellar offensive displays. They combined for 23 goals across Games 1, 2 and 3. After exchanging 3-2 wins in Games 4 and 5, the Oilers handily took care of business with a 5-1 win in Game 6 to force a decisive matchup in the series.
Vancouver might be hard-pressed to find more offensive production, especially in the wake of Brock Boeser’s absence. Oilers goaltending has been shaky throughout the series though which should give the Canucks confidence they can find the back of the net more than once if they can find shooting lanes.
Edmonton did a bang-up job defensively in Game 6, limiting Vancouver to 15 shots on goal. The Canucks can’t expect to win Game 7 with similar numbers, but the inconsistency of Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner in this series could result in multiple goals on similar shooting numbers.
NHL Game 7 trends/stats
Despite the free-scoring nature of this Canucks-Oilers series, NHL game sevens have been low-scoring in recent years. Four of the last five had three total goals, all of which were 2-1 scorelines. Of the 12 played over the last three seasons – including this season – nine of them were decided by one goal.
The Canucks are 6-6 all-time in Game 7, while the Oilers own the third-best winning percentage among teams who’ve played at least 10 game sevens with a 7-4 record.
There are few things more exciting in sports than a Game 7. The Canucks and Oilers could deliver another classic on the ice in Vancouver Monday night.
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