During their first stretch of mediocrity in February, the Vancouver Canucks were struggling to find lines that worked – especially since the breakup of the highly effective third line of Conor Garland, Teddy Blueger and the currently injured Dakota Joshua. Now, they seem to have found some great combos with JT Miller, Elias Pettersson, Elias Lindholm and Blueger each running the show down the middle.
Ilya Mikheyev – JT Miller – Brock Boeser
Even though Ilya Mikheyev is still mired in a goal slump that has now hit 33 games, he has played some of his best hockey of the season aligned with JT Miller and Brock Boeser. He has showcased his speed, playmaking and tenacity on the forecheck in recent games and if not for some bad luck would be clear of that slump and possibly on a goal streak rather than a goalless streak.
Of course, Miller and Boeser have also played well with Mikheyev, but they have been a duo all season long. They are both having career seasons as Miller just scored his 32nd goal and is on pace for 109 points and Boeser has 35 goals and could be the Canucks’ first 40-goal scorer since Ryan Kesler and Daniel Sedin hit 41 in 2010-11.
Nils Hoglander – Elias Pettersson – Pius Suter
When Lindholm was acquired from the Calgary Flames, head coach Rick Tocchet placed him on the wing with Elias Pettersson hoping that he would fit with the dynamic Swede. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out and he was forced to shift gears. Now Pettersson is paired with Hoglander and a new winger in Pius Suter, and it’s working beautifully. While it could be the removed distraction of his contract negotiations, Pettersson has been great with Suter and Hoglander since that line was put together against the Anaheim Ducks on March 4. That game started the Canucks’ current four-game winning streak, and the trio was Tocchet’s best line throughout. They had a 10-4 scoring chances advantage, Hoglander scored a goal, and every member of the line had three shots on Ducks starter Lukas Dostal.
In the three games Pettersson, Hoglander and Suter have been together, they have outscored the opposition 2-0 at even strength, hold an 11-7 margin in scoring chances, a 6-4 advantage in high-danger chances and a 53.33 Corsi for percentage (CF%). Their expected goals-for (xGF) has also been impressive at 1.09. Overall, Hoglander has two goals and five points, Pettersson two goals and four points, and Suter one goal and two points. They have hemmed other teams in the offensive zone, fought for pucks on the forecheck and generally have been a pain to play against. While everyone would have loved for Allvin to get a proven goal scorer for the top-six at the deadline, right now this line is getting it done offensively without one.
Vasily Podkolzin – Elias Lindholm – Conor Garland
Since being called up from Abbotsford, Vasily Podkolzin has not looked out of place in the NHL. In fact, it appears he never left. Like Hoglander, he played limited games in Vancouver last season and the rest in the American Hockey League (AHL). He was having a career year in Abbotsford before his call up and now the coaching staff will be hard-pressed to remove him from the lineup when Joshua returns from injury. His playmaking and hockey IQ have been on display in every game and it appears he’s found chemistry with Lindholm and Garland. Overall, it’s been a great return to the NHL for the young Russian who burst onto the scene in his rookie season with 14 goals.
Before being put on a line with Lindholm and Podkolzin, Garland was struggling to find the same effectiveness he showed with Joshua and Blueger. Now it seems he’s returned to his shifty self and the third-line is back to providing secondary production and extended shifts in the opponent’s zone. He has returned to his scoring ways as well with two goals and three points in his last four games – coinciding with the Canucks’ four-game winning streak.
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Finally, Lindholm, who has been criticized for his lack of production since arriving from Calgary, has seemingly found a home as the Canucks’ third-line center. He’s been amazing on faceoffs (60 percent), great defensively and has boosted the penalty kill. Despite the rumours that general manager Patrik Allvin was shopping him at the trade deadline, he is here to stay for the rest of the season and will hopefully pot a few goals before too long. Until then, he will provide the “little things” that are required to win games down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Phil Di Giuseppe – Teddy Blueger – Sam Lafferty
While Blueger has been demoted and is now the Canucks’ fourth-line center, he’s anchoring an emerging “identity line” with Phil Di Giuseppe and Sam Lafferty. This line has started a few games for head coach Rick Tocchet and has provided energy and physicality to start things off on the right foot. They have even added a bit of offence, too – well one guy at least. Di Giuseppe has goals in back-to-back games and has returned to the form that earned him the right to play in the top six with Miller and Boeser to start the season.
Lafferty hasn’t scored since Feb. 22 against the Seattle Kraken, but he’s provided physicality with 12 hits in his last four games. It will be interesting to see what Tocchet does with this line when Joshua returns to the lineup and whether he reunites the Garland, Blueger and Joshua trio or not. Regardless, Blueger has continued to be a valuable center for this team, even without Garland and Joshua by his side.
What Happens When Joshua Returns?
That’s the big question, isn’t it? With Podkolzin’s waiver-exempt status, he will probably be the odd man out and Joshua will come into the lineup in his stead. With how good Joshua was with Garland, he will be aligned with him once again, and we could see Lindholm keep his spot as the third-line center between them instead of Blueger. Let’s be honest, that duo is the reason that line was so effective. Remember, it was Suter as their center at the beginning of the season and they were just as good offensively and on the forecheck. No offence to Suter and Blueger, but Lindholm’s skill set is much more elite and we might be surprised how much offence is generated from that line with Joshua on it.
Blueger is playing well with Lafferty and Di Giuseppe on the new-look fourth line, so it might be good to just insert Joshua in Podkolzin’s spot and see how it goes. After all, if it doesn’t work out, Tocchet always has his tried-and-true Joshua, Blueger and Garland line to fall back on. We’ll see what direction he goes pretty soon as Joshua is set to return in the next 10-14 days.
All in all, the Canucks have an elite three-headed monster leading the top nine in Miller, Pettersson and Lindholm and a very solid pivot in Blueger anchoring the fourth line. With how the lines are assembled right now (along with the return of Joshua in Podkolzin’s spot), they should be a formidable group to face in the playoffs. Even if there are more injuries, Podkolzin is more than capable of filling in, as we’ve seen in recent games.
