Boeser's back as Canucks continue push for miracle playoff run

Bo Horvat’s out, but the Vancouver Canucks are getting two players back from injury tonight.

Brock Boeser and Matthew Highmore are both returning to the lineup for tonight’s game against the Dallas Stars, as the Canucks continue their push for the playoffs.

Boeser was injured two weeks ago after he was inadvertently hit by teammate Elias Pettersson. Highmore has been out of the lineup since March 24. Horvat’s likely going to miss the rest of the regular season after leaving last game with a leg injury.

“It’s super exciting,” Boeser told reporters after practice. “These are the games that you play for all year, to be in this position, I think it says a lot about our group after the start we had. It’s an exciting time for us and we’ve got to be prepared.”

There’s a chance the Canucks could catch Dallas or Nashville for a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but nabbing the third spot in the Pacific Division suddenly looks like a more realistic possibility.

The Canucks are six points back of the Los Angeles Kings, but Vancouver has two games in hand. Vancouver would also need to leapfrog the Vegas Golden Knights, who are three points up, but Vegas has one fewer game remaining.

“Wild card, division, doesn’t matter. We just want to get in,” Boudreau added. “But we know we have to win, at least six of the next seven. That’s the way it’s looking right now.”

The Canucks have won five games in a row, but are still long shots to make it into the playoffs — but their odds will change with every win going forward. They play Dallas and Ottawa in back-to-back home games tonight and tomorrow and have one more matchup against the Kings in the second-last game of the season still to come.

“It’s fun because no one’s giving us a chance,” said Boudreau. “So we’re just going out there to have fun. We’re going to work out ass off, and if we win, then it shortens it down to six games, and then all we have to do is win six.

“We know what’s at stake. We want to do it, but we also know that we’re huge underdogs, so we’re just going to play our butts off and see where it ends up.”

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