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GRIND LINE MAKES IMPACT:‘I would have liked to have played them more tonight because they were going and really good’

There were plenty of good news stories.

Brock Boeser was back after missing a dozen games with a rib cartilage fracture and had three good scoring looks. The power play scored what looked to be the winning goal and will be key to an upcoming two-game road trip. And Tyler Toffoli once again showed why he’s got a wicked quick release that’s hard for goalies to track.

However, one of the best developments was the play of Zack MacEwen and Adam Gaudette on a Grind Line with Antoine Roussel. There’s enough grease in that alignment to keep any machine running smooth and the trio played the type of game that could help propel the Canucks to the playoffs for the first time in five years.

MacEwen and Gaudette got to the dirty areas and got to the net to deflect Alex Edler point shots home. And with all the heat on the top-six mix to be the difference every night, the third line is making the right impression at the right time.

“That line, I would have liked to have played them more tonight because they were going and really good,” said Canucks coach Travis Green. “The problem was they (Islanders) lost a player and it almost turned into a three-line game a little bit and that can sound silly from the outside.

“But when you’re matching a couple of lines, it throws other matchups off. But at this time of year, you look at teams who are doing well — and even into the playoffs — if you don’t have secondary scoring, it’s a tough road.Right now, every inch of the ice matters and there’s pressure on you.”