Canucks make top-six forward a healthy scratch for Saturday's tilt with Arizona
When the Vancouver Canucks took line rushes at the morning skate on Saturday, one notable omission was 25-year-old forward Brock Boeser.
After the morning skate, Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters that Boeser will be a healthy scratch on Saturday night when they face the Arizona Coyotes.
"Sometimes tough love is tough love. I know he's capable of being much better. We want to win and we need him over the long haul to win. We need to be better. It could have been one of a few guys," Boudreau said.
Saturday's contest marks the first time since the second game of the 2017-18 season that Boeser has been a healthy scratch.
In terms of his point production this season, Boeser is nearly a point-per-game player with 14 in 18 games, but it's his goal scoring that has dropped off significantly and if the Canucks are to go anywhere this season, they'll need him to pick it up really soon. In his career, Boeser has four 20+ goal seasons, including the last two years, but so far he's only scored three times during the 2022-23 campaign.
The Canucks will do battle without Boeser against an Arizona Coyotes team that sits seventh in the Central Division with a record of 7-11-3 through 21 games. Puck drop is set for 10 p.m. ET on Sportsnet One, Sportsnet Pacific and CityTV.
Bruce Boudreau confirms that Brock Boeser will be a healthy scratch tonight and describes the decision as «tough love» #Canucks @Sportsnet650— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) December 3, 2022
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