<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Vancouver Canucks were back on the practice ice on Sunday as they prepare for their final game before Christmas.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There was one change to the forward group, and Quinn Hughes was excused from the on-ice session.</span></p>
<h1><span style="font-weight: 400;">What we saw</span></h1>
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<p lang="sv" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> at practice today<br />PDG-Miller-Boeser<br />DeBrusk-Pettersson-Höglander<br />Joshua-Suter-Garland<br />Heinen-Blueger-Sherwood<br />Extras: Sasson &amp; Karlsson</p>
<p>(Brännström)-Myers<br />Soucy-Juulsen<br />Forbort-Desharnais</p>
<p>&mdash; Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) <a href="https://twitter.com/patersonjeff/status/1870926252590383563?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After being a healthy scratch in the past two games, Nils Höglander will return to the lineup on Monday against San Jose. Höglander will replace Conor Garland on a line with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk, while Garland will be reunited with Pius Suter and Dakota Joshua.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Phil Di Giuseppe-JT Miller-Brock Boeser trio remained intact, while the fourth line was comprised of Teddy Blueger between Danton Heinen and Kiefer Sherwood.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Based on Sunday’s brief practice, it appears Linus Karlsson will come out of the lineup for the game against the Sharks. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Captain Quinn Hughes was given the day off from practice as he has on several occasions of late. Carrying a big workload in the absence of Filip Hronek and with a busy December schedule, the Canucks are doing all they can to ensure their most valuable player has the energy needed to be at his best in-game action.</span></p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> start practice with a longer than usual strategy session at the white board <a href="https://t.co/TmRCNSnOzw">pic.twitter.com/TmRCNSnOzw</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) <a href="https://twitter.com/patersonjeff/status/1870923006849245295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vancouver has dropped three straight games for the first time since their first three games of the season. Now, like then, two of the games went beyond regulation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Canucks have killed off 17 of their last 19 shorthanded situations over the past six games. Rick Tocchet likes the success rate but isn’t thrilled about the number of penalties the team has taken lately.</span></p>
<h1><span style="font-weight: 400;">What we heard</span></h1>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rick Tocchet on the penalty kill: “It’s been great. The PK has been really hanging in. Saying that, we have to stop taking penalties. It’s too many penalties. We have to start taking pressure off ourselves. We can’t give power plays especially early in the game. Some guys sit on the bench, they don’t kill penalties so they’re sitting there for four minutes. So we have to clean up the discipline. But when do have penalties, the PK has been there for us this year.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">JT Miller on the stories swirling around the team about the rift in the locker room: “You guys, in a sense, the outer world has created this thing. This isn’t a thing. Am I bothered? No. But you guys are just wasting your time. I don’t care. You want to ask me about it, ask me all you want. We can bring up Petey and we can do the interview together if that would make you guys happy. Listen, I have a lot of stuff to worry about right now for myself. I’m not worried about any noise. The noise is between my ears and I’m trying to figure out how to play a good 200-foot game for the team.”</span></p>
<p>Watch the entire Miller availability below:</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Miller talks Pettersson rumours, his performance vs. Senators, and more" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XF1loQHItxU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p><strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong></p>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Vancouver Canucks were back on the practice ice on Sunday as they prepare for their final game before Christmas.</span>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">There was one change to the forward group, and Quinn Hughes was excused from the on-ice session.</span>
<h1><span style="font-weight: 400;">What we saw</span></h1>
https://twitter.com/patersonjeff/status/1870926252590383563

<span style="font-weight: 400;">After being a healthy scratch in the past two games, Nils Höglander will return to the lineup on Monday against San Jose. Höglander will replace Conor Garland on a line with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk, while Garland will be reunited with Pius Suter and Dakota Joshua.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Phil Di Giuseppe-JT Miller-Brock Boeser trio remained intact, while the fourth line was comprised of Teddy Blueger between Danton Heinen and Kiefer Sherwood.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Based on Sunday’s brief practice, it appears Linus Karlsson will come out of the lineup for the game against the Sharks. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Captain Quinn Hughes was given the day off from practice as he has on several occasions of late. Carrying a big workload in the absence of Filip Hronek and with a busy December schedule, the Canucks are doing all they can to ensure their most valuable player has the energy needed to be at his best in-game action.</span>

https://twitter.com/patersonjeff/status/1870923006849245295

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Vancouver has dropped three straight games for the first time since their first three games of the season. Now, like then, two of the games went beyond regulation.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Canucks have killed off 17 of their last 19 shorthanded situations over the past six games. Rick Tocchet likes the success rate but isn’t thrilled about the number of penalties the team has taken lately.</span>
<h1><span style="font-weight: 400;">What we heard</span></h1>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Rick Tocchet on the penalty kill: “It’s been great. The PK has been really hanging in. Saying that, we have to stop taking penalties. It’s too many penalties. We have to start taking pressure off ourselves. We can’t give power plays especially early in the game. Some guys sit on the bench, they don’t kill penalties so they’re sitting there for four minutes. So we have to clean up the discipline. But when do have penalties, the PK has been there for us this year.”</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">JT Miller on the stories swirling around the team about the rift in the locker room: “You guys, in a sense, the outer world has created this thing. This isn’t a thing. Am I bothered? No. But you guys are just wasting your time. I don’t care. You want to ask me about it, ask me all you want. We can bring up Petey and we can do the interview together if that would make you guys happy. Listen, I have a lot of stuff to worry about right now for myself. I’m not worried about any noise. The noise is between my ears and I’m trying to figure out how to play a good 200-foot game for the team.”</span>

Watch the entire Miller availability below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF1loQHItxU

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Scenes from Canucks practice: Höglander set to return vs Sharks; Miller speaks on locker room rift

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