Canucks will look within lineup for answers after 'tough' loss of Boeser

With leading scorer Brock Boeser lost for the remainder of the playoffs, the Vancouver Canucks were preaching a "next man up" attitude on Monday ahead of a decisive Game 7 battle with the Edmonton Oilers.

"He's been a big part of the team. Had a great year for us. Big part of the team. Scored some big goals for us, so it's a tough one," head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters after the morning skate. "But next man up. That's the way you gotta approach it, as we have all year."

Boeser's teammates offered a similar soundbite after news broke that a blood clot in the American's leg would not only keep the 27-year-old out of Monday's game (9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+) but for the remainder of the playoffs, however long that winds up being.

“He’s obviously bummed, but he’ll be OK,” said defenceman Tyler Myers. “You have to be ready for it at unexpected times. The next guy up has to be prepared to be a difference maker.”

The "next guy" (or guys) in this scenario will be Sam Lafferty and Ilya Mikheyev. Both went pointless in the first four games of this series before being scratched. Tocchet confirmed they would slot back in for Game 7. Vasily Podkolzin, in addition to Boeser, was widely expected to also come out of the lineup, having skated with the other scratches Monday morning.

Lafferty and Mikheyev were seen skating on a line with Pius Suter.

"It's a big piece out, but, like I said, it's an opportunity for a lot of guys," Tocchet said.

Tocchet also confirmed Artūrs Šilovs would start in goal, though that was hardly earth-shattering news. The Latvian has gone 5-4 with an .898 save percentage and 2.89 goals-against average since replacing the injured Casey DeSmith after Game 2 of the Canucks' first-round series against Nashville. DeSmith, of course, replaced Vezina finalist Thatcher Demko, who is also sidelined with an injury.