Canucks: 3 takeaways from thrilling 3-2 OT win over Rangers

Garland, Podkolzin lead the comeback charge

Sometimes the unlikely heroes are the ones that save the day. In the case of the Canucks on Tuesday night, that spotlight can shine directly on Podkolzin and Conor Garland.

Let’s start with Garland.

The former Arizona Coyote has had a disappointing homestand so far, especially when you consider how dominant he performed on the team’s opening six-game road trip. Prior to puck-drop against New York, Garland had been held without a point for three consecutive games, and was finding himself on the outside looking in for the team’s top-six forward rotation.

The script remained the same on Tuesday night, with Garland once again rounding out the third line with Podkolzin and Jason Dickinson. But, unlike his previous outings at Rogers Arena, Garland was able to rediscover his feisty, annoying, “don’t-call-me-an-Elf” mentality that gave him his initial success.

Heading into the third period, Garland was easily the team’s most energetic player, and it showed in how Green deployed him for each shift. For the first goal, Garland found himself on a line with Miller and Pettersson, once again putting his offensive prowess on display with a tasty cross-ice dish that eventually found its way past Shesterkin.

For the second goal, Garland ended up being reunited with Podkolzin and Dickinson, thanks to an ongoing line change, but that didn’t stop him from picking up where he left off. The 25-year-old showed good strength and control with the puck behind the net before setting up the Podkolzin for his second tally of the year.

Garland finished the evening with two primary assists and two SOG in just under 20 minutes of ice time, while Podkolzin made sure to make the most of his limited TOI.

In just 7:04, the Russian rookie notched three shots and six hits to go along with his game-tying goal. Podkolzin also nearly scored a goal in the second period after charging the net on a partial breakaway. Only Miller and Nils Höglander registered more shots on target.

Other notes:

• This game easily could’ve been over in the final few minutes of the contest but, as we’ve seen time and time again, Demko had other plans. The 25-year-old stood on his head between the pipes, producing save after save in what was easily one of the most exciting sequences of the season. Demko even channeled his inner Dominic Hasek with this potential save of the year, scorpion kick robbery. The best part? Demko didn’t even need all of his equipment (peep the missing blocker).

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• Demko finished the night with 23 saves, bringing his overall record to 4-3-1 with a .923 SV% and 2.48 GAA. Kudos to Tucker Poolman as well, who made a sprawling arm save of his own to kick off the fireworks in front of the net.
• After a lengthy hiatus from the team, Hamonic finally made his season debut with the Canucks. The 31-year-old rounded out the third-pairing with Luke Schenn, who switched to his off side for the contest. Hamonic played just under 17 minutes in his return, and will be relied upon heavily for the final few games of the homestand. Given his current vaccination status, Hamonic will be unable to join his team on their three-game road trip starting in Colorado on November 11th.

The Canucks are back in action on Friday, taking on the Nashville Predators at Rogers Arena. Puck drop is at 7:00pm PST.

What were your thoughts from last night’s OT thriller? Drop a comment below!