Canucks tweak lines and Pettersson has yet another new winger

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The Vancouver Canucks continue to tinker with their lines as they struggle to find their top gear.

Head coach Rick Tocchet had the team practice with some different combinations in Anaheim today.

The most notable switch is Pius Suter being promoted to play alongside Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland. Suter had two goals last game, including the game-winner with less than a minute left.

Pettersson has struggled to find his stride this year with just four points in 10 games. Tocchet has tried plenty of different wingers alongside the Swedish star, including Jake DeBrusk, Arshdeep Bains, Nils Höglander, Daniel Sprong, and the two guys taking line rushes today.

The Athletic’s Harman Dayal was on location and posted the following forward line combinations, which the team used in practice:

DeBrusk – Miller – Boeser
Suter – Pettersson – Garland
Heinen – Blueger – Sherwood
Höglander – Bains – Sprong

With Suter bumped up to Pettersson’s line, someone had to replace him at centre. The Canucks had Bains, a natural winger, take that spot for now.

Dakota Joshua continued to rotate through lines, per Dayal. He seems to be on the verge of returning to the lineup.

The team’s defence pairs also looked slightly different. The bottom four got a slight shuffle:

Hughes – Hronek
Soucy – Myers
Brannstrom – Desharnais
Forbort – Juulsen

The Canucks have won just one of their last three games and that was a nail-biter against the lowly San Jose Sharks. The good news is that they’ve managed to grab 13 points from 10 games despite not being at their best.

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