Canucks’ Third Line Key to Success This Season – The Hockey Writers –

The Vancouver Canucks started the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a bang. In Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers, the organization came back after trailing 4-1. Elias Lindholm scored late in the second to cut the lead to two before the club exploded with three goals in the third for the win. 

Head coach Rick Tocchet has done a great job with the Canucks this season. The team plays in a system that fits their style and the coach has instilled belief into the club, which is why he is a nominee for the Jack Adams Award for best coach. Meanwhile, the club’s core stepped up, as J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes set career highs in points, while Brock Boeser set a career-high in goals with 40. Elias Pettersson had an up-and-down season, while Thatcher Demko played some of his best hockey in net. Hughes (Norris Trophy) and Demko (Vezina Trophy) are also up for awards. 

However, the club’s third line deserves credit for the team’s success this season. With Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua on the wing, the line started the season with Teddy Blueger at centre before Lindholm took over the spot. No one could’ve guessed the line would succeed this season, as Garland was involved in trade rumors before the regular season started, while Joshua’s production was unexpected. Meanwhile, Blueger was brought in to kill penalties, and Lindholm was still in Calgary with the Flames.

Third Line Came as a Surprise

Garland’s agent allowed the Canucks to trade before the regular season started, but the club’s hot start led to the forward remaining with the team. He joined Vancouver before the 2021-22 season, in a trade from the Arizona Coyotes along with Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Most thought of him as the piece with the most promise as he’d now play with top-end talent in Vancouver. However, the organization struggled in his first two years and looked to create cap space with Garland emerging as a trade piece. Although he posted a career-high 19 goals and 55 points in his first season with the team, he struggled the following year until Tocchet took over. The head coach had Garland starting the season on the first line but moved him to the third line alongside Joshua.

Before the regular season, Joshua was fighting for a place on the roster in training camp, with Tocchet saying he had to pick up his play if he…