Garland's Two-Goal Effort Powers Canucks To 3-2 Overtime Victory Over The Kings

The Vancouver Canucks snapped their two-game losing streak on Wednesday, defeating the L.A. Kings 3-2 in overtime. Conor Garland (2) and Nils Höglander provided the goals, while Kevin Lankinen stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced in the victory. With the win, Vancouver climbs back into a playoff position and now sit one point above the Calgary Flames for the second wild-card spot in the West. 

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Wednesday's game was significant as it marked the return of Quinn Hughes, who had been sidelined with an injury for the last six games. In his return to the lineup, the Canucks captain played 21:38, was credited with two shots on net and recorded the primary assist on the overtime winner. For a player who has not played since January 31, Hughes looked like his old self and, in the end, played a significant role in Vancouver's victory. 

When asked post-game about Hughes' return to the lineup, Garland said, "It's huge. Obviously, he's, I think, a top-three player in the world. He's just fantastic, a leader. When stuff goes awry, you can lean on him to make plays, and that's what he did in overtime for us."

As for the stars of the game, that would be the Canucks penalty killers. Vancouver went four for four on the penalty kill against L.A., which included killing off a two-minute minor in overtime. The Canucks have now gone perfect in five of their last six games and have killed 17 of their past 18 penalties. 

Wednesday was also a good reminder of just how valuable Garland is to the lineup. He scored twice and led the team with four shots during his 17:20 of ice time. Ultimately, Garland proved to be a spark plug for Vancouver, helping them pick up a much-needed win against the Kings. 

The game also featured a scary moment as Tyler Myers was hit in the neck and needed to be helped off the ice. The play occurred in overtime as the Canucks were killing their penalty. According to Rick Tocchet, Myers is ok and might be an option on Thursday night for the second half of the back-to-back. 

While this game wasn't a masterpiece, as Vancouver did give up a two-goal lead, they found a way to pick up a crucial two points. 

Stats and Facts:

- Conor Garland hits the 15-goal mark for the fourth consecutive season
- Conor Garland becomes the first Canucks player with multiple overtime goals this season
- Quinn Hughes hits the 60-point mark for the fourth consecutive season
- Recording point number 393, Quinn Hughes ties Ryan Kesler and Brendan Morrison for the 16th most points in franchise history.

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

9:56- VAN: Nils Höglander (5) from Derek Forbort

2nd Period:

13:07- VAN: Conor Garland (15) from Filip Chytil and Dakota Joshua (PPG)

3rd Period:

9:16- LAK: Adrian Kempe (26) from Vladislav Gavrikov (17) and Quinton Byfield
14:01- LAK: Warren Foegele (16) from Jordan Spence and Jacob Moverare

Overtime:

4:26- VAN: Conor Garland (16) from Quinn Hughes and Filip Chytil

 Up Next:

The Canucks won't have to wait long to hit the ice as they are back in action on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks. This will be the second of four meetings between Vancouver and Anaheim, with the Canucks taking the first matchup back in November. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT from the Honda Center. 

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