"I owe Dak a dinner": Garland really appreciated Canucks teammate Joshua fighting for him
The Vancouver Canucks continue to get outsized production from their third line.
The trio of Conor Garland, Teddy Blueger, and Dakota Joshua have terrorized opponents all season long. Last night’s dominant performance against the Chicago Blackhawks was just the latest example.
Joshua had perhaps his best game as a member of the Canucks, finishing with a Gordie Howe hat trick after dropping the gloves with MacKenzie Entwistle in the third period.
The Blackhawks forward sent Garland crashing into the boards and then had to answer the bell with a fight against Joshua.
Dakota Joshua completes the Gordie Howe hat trick with a spirited bout against MacKenzie Entwistle#Canucks | #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/vpMrw1GyTg
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 14, 2024
The 5-foot-10 forward was very appreciative of his teammate’s support.
“I owe Dak a dinner tonight. That’s unbelievable right there,” said Garland unprompted to the Canucks’ Kate Pettersen. “Shows how tight this team is and the character we have in the room. We’ve got a good group in there.”
When asked where he wanted his dinner, Joshua was quick to tell Pettersen his response.
“Somewhere expensive.”
The line combined for three of the Canucks’ four goals in the victory. They opened the scoring with a beautiful passing play that left Garland all alone with an empty net.
Textbook give-n-go 🤌 pic.twitter.com/NQJF6OpEg3
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 14, 2024
“Me and Dak do a lot of two-on-ones in practice and we weren’t very good this morning, so it was nice to convert tonight,” said Garland about the play after the game. “Great play by him, just shows what an all-around player he is, holding the puck and then sliding it for an open netter.”
The Canucks would likely not be first place in the NHL without the large contributions from the team’s third line. It’s the only trio that has stayed intact over the past couple of months as head coach Rick Tocchet adjusts the lineup around it.
#Canucks have the NHL's best record thanks to contributions from their 3rd line pic.twitter.com/jZTuOMFMms
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) February 14, 2024
The Canucks play their next game tomorrow night against the Detroit Red Wings. They will be looking to get revenge after losing in overtime to the team earlier this week.
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