Mikkel Boedker’s first game for Team Europe will be a big one.
Boedker, a healthy scratch throughout the World Cup, will make his European debut on Tuesday, replacing the injured Marian Gaborik (foot) in the first of the best-of-three final.
Head coach Ralph Kreuger opted for Boedker rather than dressing Luca Sbisa as a seventh defenseman, and lamented losing Gaborik’s presence in the lineup.
“We’re losing some leadership and smarts on the puck that were exemplary,” Krueger said, per the L.A. Times.
What the Europeans will gain, however, is speed. Boedker’s one of the fastest skaters in the league and is coming off a good offensive campaign, tying a career-high with 51 points.
The 26-year-old appeared in two of Europe’s exhibition games, both against Team North America. He received a ton of ice time in the first -- 19:46 -- but had that cut in half for the rematch, when he had 13 shifts for just 9:22 TOI.
Related: Gaborik (foot) to miss eight weeks