Boeser’s skill rises above the rubble
Rookie’s heavy shot, calm demeanour impresses in loss to expansion Knights
Sift through the rubble long enough and there could be something of value. Say what you want about minorleague lineups and a mean-nothing meeting in the big NHL picture, but the fact the Vancouver Canucks were clobbered 9-4 by the expansion Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Arena in a pre-season blowout was unsettling.
Compete levels were waning. Board battles were few and far between. Five of nine minors were for slashes of frustration about being a step behind. There was a free-fly zone in front of goalies Richard Bachman and Thatcher Demko and too many simply seemed overwhelmed by the moment.
“We looked like a team that had just got thrown together — which we were,” said Utica Comets coach Trent Cull, who ran the bench while the Canucks staff and veterans were jetting to China for two pre-season games this week against the Los Angeles Kings.
“We hadn’t practised before as a group. I hope we have the same group practise more to get in sync on special teams and the D-zone and plenty of other things we need to get better at (before pre-season games Wednesday in Calgary and Friday in Edmonton). Getting thrown in there today as a group, we need more time to perfect things.
“Our tracking off the rush was just OK. We need to take away more time and space.” At least there was Brock Boeser. It’s one thing for a rookie to score a pre-season goal in the NHL. It’s another to score with intimidating shot quickness and accuracy and look like you’ve been doing it for years. And then to do it all in a calm, reserved and humble manner. That gets your attention.
It’s why the Boeser hype meter has swung beyond “wow.” In the penalty filled yawner, Boeser scored a major-league goal in the first period and another in the third. That’s three goals in backto-back outings and seven goals in 11 games since the 20-year-old Boeser made a dramatic leap from the University of North Dakota last March. It screams NHL ready. “It’s the type of kid I am,” said Boeser. “I’m going to set the bar high for myself. I feel I can play at this level and that’s what camp is about — proving it.”
The right-winger proved a lot Sunday.
A day after ripping a wrister through the defenceman’s legs and picking the far corner with a heavy, laser-like shot in a 4-3 overtime victory at Los Angeles, Boeser was at it again at Rogers Arena.
He raced down the right side, cut to the middle and calmly snapped a heavy wrist shot to the far side before goalie Dylan Ferguson flinched.
In the third period on the power play, he was positioned below the hash marks in the faceoff circle and still whipped a quick shot through a small short-side opening.
“(He) certainly makes players around him better with how he plays and thinks the game.” — Trent Cull
“He has that ability to slow the game down,” marvelled Cull.
“He can still play with pace, but the more I’m getting familiar with him, he certainly makes players around him better with how he plays and thinks the game. He’s certainly growing on me, that’s for sure.”
Boeser entered last season as the top-rated NCAA pro prospect, but the 23rd overall pick in the 2015 draft was shut down Dec. 19 by wrist surgery. The winger still managed 16 goals in 32 games after amassing 27 goals in 42 games in his freshman season, which bettered the school’s first-year marks established by Jonathan Toews and T.J. Oshie.
After four NHL goals in nine regular-season games late last season, the only lingering doubts about the time frame for full-time employment with the Canucks was a stride that could be more explosive at the outset and the ability to handle a fishbowl existence in Vancouver.
All that has been overshadowed by what management may have to do in the coming weeks to accommodate Boeser and perhaps align him with Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi and bump Thomas Vanek to the third line. Boeser has been that good.
“When the puck is going into the net, you feel pretty good about yourself, but I’d like to score and get a win — that feels a lot better,” added Boeser when pressed to talk about himself, which he is loathe to do.
“It made a lot of difference with the veterans being gone. We need to clean up our D-zone. It just showed out there.”
What’s also showing is any concern Boeser’s wrist might still not be right after surgery should be shelved. He had nine shot attempts Sunday. Five found the mark, two were blocked and two barely missed the net.
One of those that did get through caught the top of the goalie’s shaft, otherwise we would still be talking about a Boeser hat trick.