J.T. Miller was the first star for the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night in Seattle thanks to a key assist and the shootout winner but it was Conor Garland who arguably had a bigger impact on the game.
Garland led the Canucks' forwards in ice time and was the catalyst behind one of the most dominant shifts we've seen from the Canucks all season, as they pinned the Seattle Kraken in their own end for such a long stretch that Seattle defenceman Jamie Oleksiak was stuck on the ice for over four minutes.
The 28-year-old winger is in the midst of a career year, as he leads all Canucks forwards in points and is on pace for career highs in goals and assists. He's been vital for the Canucks while the team's usual stars have struggled and missed time due to personal leave or injury.
"He's a driver, right?" said head coach Rick Tocchet of Garland. "He's one of our best forecheckers. He has the puck a lot. We talk a lot this year about winning battles and when you're 5-foot...I don't wanna demean him but, what is he? 5'7"? I don't know how tall he is but when a guy like that can win more than his share of battles, it's an inspiration for a lot of our players."
Garland eating up minutes on Thursday also meant that Miller and his linemates, Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser, could play less — a lot less, as that line had the lowest ice time on the Canucks at 5-on-5. While that's partly a reflection of how Thursday's game progressed, the benefit is that they should be fresh for Friday night's game against the Nashville Predators.
"I thought the other guys deserved a little bit more and sometimes guys that usually play 17-18, those two extra or three extra minutes, I thought the other lines deserved it," said Tocchet. "They didn't have their best but Millsy came up with a big goal for us in the shootout. You've got to contribute in some way."
That line, with their limited minutes on Thursday, will be expected to step up on Friday, as they'll likely have the freshest legs. That could make a major difference on back-to-back nights.
Vancouver Canucks projected lines
Don't expect changes to the lineup after a hard-fought win, with one exception, of course: Thatcher Demko is out with back spasms, according to Tocchet, so Arturs Silovs has been called up from the AHL.
Since the Canucks are currently at the 23-man roster limit, this could be an emergency recall situation; otherwise, a player would need to be sent down or put on injured reserve to make room.
Here are the Canucks' projected lines:
Unless Brisebois has to be sent back down to the AHL to make room for Silovs, he'll presumably play in his second game of the season, leaving Erik Brännström as a healthy scratch. Brisebois comported himself well on Thursday in his first NHL game in nearly two years.
The Canucks' starting goaltender will be Kevin Lankinen, who had to come in midway through Thursday's game in relief of Demko. Playing so much on back-to-back nights isn't ideal but Lankinen has taken on every challenge he's faced this season and given the Canucks a chance to win most nights.
He'll face his former team for the second time this season. He gave up 4 goals on 21 shots in a loss in , though that was more on the lousy penalty kill than Lankinen himself.
Nashville Predators projected lines
This isn't how the Predators' 2024-25 season was supposed to go. General manager Barry Trotz swung for the fences in the offseason, signing big names Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei in free agency.
They hoped to improve immensely from their fourth-place finish in the Central Division last season and their first-round knockout in the playoffs at the hands of the Canucks. Instead, they're sitting seventh in the Central, barely ahead of the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks, with an 11-20-7 record.
The Predators have lost three straight heading into Friday's game and have been outscored 15-to-7 in those three games, but they shouldn't be taken lightly. They still have a lot of talent in their lineup and beat a tough team in the Carolina Hurricanes before their recent losing streak.
Here are the Predators' projected lines, :
Filip Forsberg - Steven Stamkos - Jonathan Marchessault
Gustav Nyquist - Ryan O’Reilly - Vinnie Hinostroza
Mark Jankowski - Tommy Novak - Luke Evangelista
Ozzy Wiesblatt - Michael McCarron - Colton Sissons
Roman Josi - Justin Barron
Brady Skjei - Nick Blankenburg
Spencer Stastney - Luke Schenn
Juuse Saros
Justus Annunen
The Predators' starting goaltender is expected to be Juuse Saros, facing his former backup, Lankinen, once again. Saros has a .903 save percentage so far this season, a step behind Lankinen's .907. That said, Saros can still steal a game: three of his eight wins this season have been shutouts.
