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Scenes from practice: Canucks’ new look lines reunite Joshua-Blueger-Garland trio
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Paterson
Nov 15, 2024, 16:28 EST
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A day after a no-show performance in a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders, the Vancouver Canucks were back on the practice ice at UBC on Friday.
Not surprisingly, Rick Tocchet shook up his forward lines in an effort to spark his hockey club.

What we saw

The most notable change was the reunion of Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua. Those two skated on a line with Teddy Blueger. For a while last season, that was one of the best third lines in the National Hockey League. 
With just 12 forwards at practice, it was all hands on deck. Kiefer Sherwood moved up to play right wing with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk, while Danton Heinen dropped down to a line with Aatu Räty and Nils Höglander.
After six straight starts in goal, Kevin Lankinen was given a day off to rest. Arturs Silovs and Thatcher Demko were the two netminders on the ice for Friday’s 40 minute session.
Vincent Desharnais was absent after tweaking something last night, according to Rick Tocchet. It’s not believed to be a serious matter, but Tocchet felt it was best for the big blueliner to sit out today’s practice.
With virtually no intensity from his group on Thursday, Tocchet started practice with one-on-one small-area battle drills to force players to engage. He then added a second player on each side to create two-on-two battles.

What we heard

Rick Tocchet on pushing his players hard in practice: “Sometimes you get a little comfortable, and that’s my job. I want these guys to feel comfortable, but play uncomfortable and that’s a sweet spot we’re trying to find right now.”
Conor Garland on being reunited with Dakota Joshua: “We had a really good day today. Kind of did the same concepts that we had last year that were effective for us. It makes us a better team with Dak back in the line up. It will obviously take some time to get where he was, but hopefully me and Teddy can help him.”
Garland on getting the kind of practice he expected: “I think we probably all expected that first drill. You have to start on time and that’s a great drill to have for us to be ready to go. It’s to be expected. Work on some stuff we need to improve on. It’s just another day trying to get better.”
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