Höglander-Räty- Garland Has Been Canucks Best Line Through First Two Games Of The 2024-25 Regular Season
The trio have been the Vancouver Canucks best line so far this season.
Photo by Bob Frid-Imagn Images - Höglander-Räty- Garland Has Been Canucks Best Line Through First Two Games Of The 2024-25 Regular SeasonThroughout the first two games of the 2024-25 season, one forward line has stood out above the rest. Like during the pre-season, the trio of Nils Höglander, Aatu Räty and Conor Garland have been impressive, scoring two of the Vancouver Canucks four five-on-five goals. They have also been strong defensively, showing that the trio can have a positive impact at both ends of the ice.
Diving into the analytics, Höglander, Räty and Garland have played 13:34 together so far this season. During that time, they have outscored the opposition 2-1, have a 10-3 scoring chances advantage and are winning the high-danger chances battle 3-0. The trio also has a 1.143 PDO, which should continue to rise as the season progresses.
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A good way to show how successful the trio has been is by using per-60 rates. When Höglander, Räty and Garland, the Canucks have a scoring chances against per 60 rate of 13.27. When the trio is not on the ice, that never jumps to 20.3. There is also a difference in scoring chances created per 60, with Vancouver currently at 44.23 with the trio on the ice compared to 30.98 when they are not. While the sample size is limited, the results show that this line has a ton of potential and could play a key role in the lineup on a nightly basis.
As was apparent last season, having a solid third line is crucial for a team's long-term success. On some nights in 2023-24, the trio of Dakota Joshua, Teddy Blueger and Garland were the reason the Canucks were able to escape with victories. Yes, it's only two games in, but it looks like Vancouver has found a dependable third-line trio that can provide similar energy to last year's group.
