VANCOUVER -- Brock Boeser rejoined his Vancouver Canucks teammates at practice for the first time Monday after missing more than three weeks with a groin injury.
Boeser will be a game-time decision against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, FS-W, NHL.TV) and hopes to be back in the lineup against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday at the latest. He is sixth on the Canucks in scoring with 11 points (four goals, seven assists) despite playing 13 of 26 games.
"It's been a while since I got to skate with the guys, so it was nice to get out there and skate with them and I felt good," Boeser said. "We'll see how I am (Tuesday) morning and go from there. Today was a good first step and if I am good in the morning, hopefully I can play."
Boeser missed a two-game road trip Oct. 24-25 with the groin injury but returned to play four more games before aggravating it Nov. 2 against the Colorado Avalanche.
Boeser, who missed the final 16 games of last season after fracturing a bone in his back, is confident the groin problem is behind him for good after seeing a specialist.
"I didn't want it to linger all year because that could turn into something even worse if you keep playing with an injury," Boeser said. "Clarified some things, obviously that I didn't have a hernia, and we kind of dialed into what was wrong and what we had to fix. I was cautious to make sure we knew what the problem is, the root of the problem, and make sure we fix it."
Getting Boeser back should help Vancouver, which went 2-7-2 in its past 11 games without him in the lineup. The Canucks scored 16 goals during an eight-game losing streak before defeating the Kings 4-2 on Saturday.
"He's a big part of our offense," coach Travis Green said. "We've missed him."
Boeser practiced Monday on the top line with rookie center Elias Pettersson, who leads the Canucks with 13 goals and is second with 21 points, and Nikolay Goldobin.
"We think hockey the same. He is a skilled guy, good shot," Pettersson said. "We all know how good a goal-scorer he is, so it's always nice to play with a guy who is good at hockey and creates chances for both himself and me."
Boeser, who also practiced opposite Pettersson on the first power-play unit, hopes they can quickly get back the chemistry they demonstrated before his injury.
"Hopefully we can build off that," Boeser said. "Hopefully my confidence is still there."
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