For the first time since their seven-game showdown in the second round of last spring’s playoffs, the Vancouver Canucks (7-2-3) and Edmonton Oilers (6-7-1) square off tonight at Rogers Arena.
Just like Game 7 last May, the Canucks will be without their leading goal scorer Brock Boeser who suffered a head injury in the team’s 4-2 win in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

What we saw

The Canucks will have several new looks without Boeser, who is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. Rick Tocchet said he is looking for balance in his top lines to combat the way the Oilers will deploy their forward lines.
Conor Garland gets shifted into Boeser’s spot on the right side with JT Miller, while Jake DeBrusk is reunited with Elias Pettersson. DeBrusk enters the night on a three-game goal-scoring streak.
Nils Åman and Arshdeep Bains were both recalled from Abbotsford this morning and will be plugged right into the line-up on a line with Aaty Räty.
For the second straight Saturday, it’s milestone night for the Canucks. Last Saturday in San Jose, Derek Forbort appeared in his 500th NHL game while Filip Hronek skated in his 400th and Carson Soucy suited up for his 300th. Tonight, Danton Heinen plays his 500th NHL game while Kiefer Sherwood plays in his 200th.
Kevin Lankinen makes his fourth straight start in goal. He is on a personal three-game win streak and is 7-0-2 in his nine appearances with the Canucks.
While the Canucks have won six straight on the road and six of seven overall as the visitors this season, they have just one win in five tries (1-1-3) on home ice. Their last game at home was a forgettable 6-0 loss at the hands of the New Jersey Devils on October 30th.
Dakota Joshua and Thatcher Demko were both on the ice for the team’s morning skate. The Canucks say Joshua is a possibility for Tuesday while Demko’s timeline remains uncertain. The netminder worked on his own this morning and was not an active participant in team drills.

The visitors

The Oilers arrive in town coming off back-to-back losses to the New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights. On Wednesday, the Golden Knights scored three unanswered third period goals to secure a 4-2 victory in Edmonton.
Connor McDavid returned to the line-up on Wednesday after missing three games with an ankle injury. He didn’t figure in the Oiler scoring but played 21:02 in his first game in 10 days. In 40 career regular season games against Vancouver, the Oilers captain has 23 goals and 64 points – his highest total against any NHL opponent.
Leon Draisaitl leads the Oilers with nine goals and 16 points. McDavid has three goals and 10 points in 11 games. They are the only Edmonton forwards with more than six points on the season.
Shockingly, Edmonton is tied for 30th in the NHL in overall offence, averaging 2.36 goals per game. They are tied at the figure with the Nashville Predators and ahead of only the Anaheim Ducks. Zach Hyman scored 54 times last season but has just three goals so far this year. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is just over a year removed from a 37-goal/104-point campaign. He has one goal and five points so far this season.
Vasily Podkolzin returns to Rogers Arena for the first time as a visitor after being acquired by Edmonton at the end of summer. The former Canuck first-rounder has three assists but is still looking for his first goal in orange and blue.
Edmonton’s special teams – a strength of their game in recent years – are off to a disastrous start. The vaunted power play is clicking at just 14.3% while the penalty kill is dead last in the NHL at 59.5%.
The Canucks swept the Oilers in their four-game regular season series, including three early season victories last season. The teams will meet three times this season. Edmonton will be back in Vancouver on January 18th, while the Canucks play their lone game in the Alberta capital five days later on January 23rd.
Tonight’s referees: Graham Skilliter & Frederick L’Ecuyer
Tonight’s broadcasters: John Shorthouse & Louie DeBrusk

What we heard

Rick Tocchet updates Brock Boeser’s condition: “I talked to him briefly. Doesn’t feel great, but I wouldn’t say it’s horrible. So I think he’s indefinite right now. They can change in a week or in 24 hours. We’ll monitor him. It’s a dangerous hit. It’s one of those things, it’s a dangerous play and we hope Brock’s going to be okay.”
Tocchet on Daniel Sprong’s short stay in Vancouver: “He’s a great kid. I couldn’t get him in a top six role. To be honest with you, there were some other guys ahead of him for what I needed. I don’t think it was fair to him to play fourth line, 10 minutes. It’s hard because he’s skilled guy. It’s basically that. And a couple of younger guys that we figured could do that role for us.”
Jake DeBrusk on the level Quinn Hughes is at these days: “It’s amazing. I remember playing against him and it was just a nightmare being a winger against him. Last game I played here (with Boston), I was told to watch him the whole game and it was just miserable. How he controls the pace and play, I’ve never played with anyone like that. I’ve been trying to figure out where to go on the ice when he has the puck because he’s weaving around all the time and making guys miss.”
Vincent Desharnais on facing his former team for the first time in regular season action: “Waking up this morning, little bit of butterflies seeing all my old teammates. I had some great years in Edmonton but at the end of the day I’m here to do a job. The game doesn’t change. When the puck drops, I think I’ll be in the zone and try to play my game.”
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