Lindholm comes up big in Game 1 after slow start with Canucks

VANCOUVER -- Elias Lindholm understands why the Vancouver Canucks acquired him from the Calgary Flames. It just maybe took a few months for it to show itself.

The forward scored Vancouver's first goal of the game on the first shift of the second period, and his strong forecheck helped set up Dakota Joshua's game-winning goal in the third period as the Canucks won 4-2 against the Nashville Predators in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round at Rogers Arena on Sunday.

"Obviously, you want to come here and make an impression, but things have not gone the way I wanted to," Lindholm said. "What you are going to do right now is just work hard, play as good as you can right now and help the team win."

Lindholm played a giant role in the victory Sunday, something he hadn't done much of since the Canucks acquired him on Jan. 31 for forward Andrei Kuzmenko, two prospects and two picks in the 2024 NHL Draft, including a first-round selection.

He scored two goals in his Canucks debut on Feb. 6 before scoring just two goals in his next 20 games. He scored on March 23, but then missed seven games because of a wrist injury. He returned on April 10 and played the final four games of the regular season but scored just one goal.

Through those struggles, coach Rick Tocchet said he never doubted Lindholm would become the player the Canucks expected.

"Let's face it, that's why we acquired him, for tonight," Tocchet said. "I think he's played 800 games, he was hurt, things didn't go his way. I didn't see panic in his game. I just love his demeanor. It's like, 'Hey, I'm ready to go.'"

His teammates saw that all-around game as well, even if it wasn't showing on the score sheet.

"If you really watch him throughout a game, he does so many little things that go unnoticed and unappreciated," defenseman Tyler Myers said. "People don't appreciate it as much as they should. He's an incredibly solid, stable player who's really fun to be on the ice with. And whether he gets points or not, he drives a lot of our system."

In addition to the goal, Lindholm and his line with Joshua and Conor Garland was matched against the Predators' top line of Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly and Gustav Nyquist and helped hold them to three shots on goal at even strength.

Lindholm also had five hits and was 9-for-15 on face-offs, including 2-for-3 in the defensive zone and 5-for-5 in the neutral zone.

That included winning the face-off immediately after Pius Suter scored at 8:59 of the third period to tie the game 2-2, and his hit on Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon behind Nashville's net allowed Garland to get the puck to Joshua for the winning goal at 9:11.

"He's a great player, so none of us really doubted that the offense would come from him," Joshua said. "It was a great goal to get us going, and then he showed some of his hockey IQ there getting in on the forecheck and creating that goal.

"He just makes you feel a lot more confident in your own game knowing that if you make a mistake, he's right there to back you up and you don't have to question what he's doing, so it gives you more confidence in yourself."

Confidence will be a big thing now for Lindholm. Getting it right from the start of his first playoff game since 2022 could provide a solid foundation for him moving forward.

"Hopefully," he said of keeping this momentum going. "Obviously, it's always good to score and help the team. As long as we're winning, it's all good."

Tocchet has no doubt Lindholm will be a big part of that winning for the Canucks.

"Whether he can build on it, I just think he knows how to play these type of games," Tocchet said. "So, I was never worried about him, wasn't worried about his play or who he was going to be. That's why, whether he goes against O'Reilly a lot or [defensive] zone face-offs, he's good at that stuff. He knows what he's doing. So, I was never concerned about his play. I always knew he's a guy that's played a lot of games and knows what to do up there in pressure situations."