Canucks 4, Kings 2: Loss of Brock Boeser to illegal check

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One player doesn’t make a team.

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However, one big and battle-tested veteran, who has had his way with the Vancouver Canucks before, was a priority in Los Angeles on Thursday night. At least until the script was flipped and there became a much greater concern.

Kings captain Anze Kopitar had 60 points (17-43) in 67 previous games against the Pacific Division rival, but he would prove a sidebar to the biggest story.

When winger Brock Boeser was dropped to the ice by a brutal, blind side and illegal check to the head from winger Tanner Jeannot midway through first period and left the game, it changed the priority for the Canucks to hopefully sweep their three-game road trip and they rallied from an early deficit for an impressive 4-2 decision.

Jeannot was assessed a match penalty and could face further discipline should the league assess a suspension after reviewing the hit in which Boeser was woozy as he made his way to further evaluation. He could have suffered concussion-like symptoms, although there was no immediate medical update on his condition, after making a neutral-zone pass and then taking a shoulder to the head.

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The Canucks were awarded a five-minute power play on the hit and Conor Garland struck with the man advantage, but it was of little solace knowing they may be without their leading scorer for an undisclosed period. Boeser has a team-high six goals and 11 points through a dozen games, a great start in an NHL season in which his contract-extension expires.

“Next man up type of thing,” said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet. “Brock is a big part of our team, a big chunk, and guys did a nice job filling in. I had to put some different guys up there, so I hope Brock is okay. I’ve got to take a look at it (hit) and obviously it’s a dangerous play.

“We’re getting to our game and the odd-man rushes are getting less. That’s the key. Just a more connected group. There are a lot of different moving parts and I’m really proud of the guys. We were a good road team last year (23-14-4), so we’re comfortable playing a 2-1 game.

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“You have to be able to lock it down and push the envelope. The Kings made a push at the end.”

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It became a matter of trying to hold the division-leading Kings and their high-potent offence at bay without Boeser, who has become a complete and reliable player in all game situations.

“I liked a lot of our game today,” said Miller, who had two shots, eight attempts and won 59 per cent of his draws. “When Brock went down, a lot of the forwards had to step up and everybody played their part.”

Here’s what else we learned as Jake DeBrusk, Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller (into an empty net) also scored for the Canucks, who have won six-consecutive road games, while Quinton Byfield and Vladislav Gavrikov replied for the Kings:

DeBrusk comes as advertised

It’s never a great impression to open a season with a prolonged scoring slump before eventually crawling out of the abyss.

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DeBrusk knows that better than most NHL players, but the big free-agent acquisition is finally skating more freely — and getting to the right places to convert — after not finding the net in his first nine games with the Canucks.

He needed nine games with the Boston Bruins at the outset of last season to score his first goal. He then struggled through seven and 10-game goal droughts before finishing the season with 19 goals.

On Thursday, DeBrusk made it three goals in three games. After being denied on an early scoring chance, he took a cross-ice feed at side of the net from Hughes down low, did a dipsy-doodle at the side of goalie Darcy Kuemper before tucking the puck home to give the Canucks a 2-1 lead early in the second period.

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“Playing consistent and getting some bounces,” DeBrusk reasoned of his recent success.

Tocchet went one better. Joining a new team and meshing with linemates takes time. You need to get a feel of where to be at the right time to make it all work. Do that and the goals will come. And with Boeser sidelined, DeBrusk now becomes a much bigger piece of the offensive puzzle.

“He’s holding on to pucks and winning battles,” said Tocchet, “Some new systems stuff, so you have to give him a break and new linemates. When you play with J.T.,and are around him a lot, you get a lot of loose pucks. He’s playing closer now, before he was too wide and away from him.

“You’re going to get the puck if you play with Millsy.”

Said Miller of DeBrusk: “He’s getting more comfortable and the confidence is coming at the right time. He’s getting rewarded for going to the net and playing with Brock and me, pucks go there a lot. He’s got really good patience and I’m happy for him.”

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Captain Fantastic strikes again

The book on Hughes in the offensive zone is not that complicated. It’s just not simple to defend.

If you’re going to rush the Canucks captain at the point in your own zone, then be very aware. He’s going to whirl and twirl, or dart down low to his left to gain position and release a much-improved wrist shot to the high far side.

In the third period, he danced along the blue-line and stickhandled to find a shooting lane. That’s when his release found the net on an effective screen by Miller to give the Canucks what looked like a comfortable 3-1 advantage before Gavrikov made it a game.

Hughes finished with two points, two shots, seven attempts, two blocked shots and his first minor penalty of the season.

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“He just control the play so much,” lauded Tocchet. “It’s why he’s such a great defenceman.”

Said Miller: “It’s pretty elite. When we’re playing man-on-man teams, I feel bad for them because it sucks to try and cover him up there (point). He’s our leader. And these are the tough games that get your going for the rest of the season.”

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Lankinen doing Lankinen things

There was a brief moment in the first period when Kevin Lankinen looked vulnerable. Imagine that?

The Canucks crease saviour was trying to make the right play on a penalty kill by clearing the puck out of his zone. However, the deft stickhandler whiffed on the attempt in his crease as the puck went off the heal of his blade and right to Kevin Fiala.

The Kings winger thought he had a gift goal awaiting but Lankinen got his right pad on the shot. And that in a nutshell is Lankinen. He bends but he doesn’t break.

The first effort to beat the unflappable Finn was the opening goal that was more about what happened in front of him. For the second occasion this season, defenceman Vincent Desharnais tried to clear the defensive zone by putting a long shot off the sideboards.

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That’s when Byfield jumped on the attempt and sped away on a breakaway and went high on the backhand with his deke at 1:43.

The second goal was a screen set by Trevor Lewis in the third period that allowed a Gavrikov point shot to slip through on the short side glove with 6:03 remaining in regulation time. But that’s as close as the Kings would get, even with Kuemper pulled for an extra attacker, and Lankinen getting good support from his forwards.

This is new territory for Lankinen.

He was more than a dependable backup to Juuse Saros in Nashville last season when called upon. He’s adept at handling pucks, especially behind the net, and his puck tracking is superb. It’s why his ability to start five-straight games for the Canucks, and nine of the last 10, are actually quite remarkable.

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He took a sparking 6-0-2 mark, 2.09 goals-against average, .923 saves percentage and a shutout into Tuesday’s test.

In Music City, Lankinen often sat for three and four-game spells before Saros took a night off. Lankinen never had two-consecutive starts, but his book of work in one-off outings showed mental and physical ability to deliver.

He had a 33-save shutout, and in seven of 11 wins, he allowed two goals on three occasions, three goals just once and had another 33-save night in which he allowed but one goal.

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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