The Vancouver Canucks turned back the clock on Saturday evening against the New Jersey Devils. Yes, it was their first regulation win since February 25, 2012, but there was also something that resurfaced from the past. The Canucks put Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser on the same line to reunite the “The Lotto Line.” The return of the lotto line was a successful one as they hit the jackpot in the 6-4 win over the Devils.
The Return of the Lotto Line
Ok, it wasn’t technically the Lotto Line as Pettersson was on the left wing instead of centre against the Devils as Thomas Drance of The Athletic pointed out. But the point still stands and the line had Pettersson, Miller and Boeser together anyway.
The trio put up eight points on the Devils. Talk about a winning ticket. Pettersson managed two goals and an assist and so did Miller. Boeser managed two assists of his own and did score the opening goal of the game but it was called off for goaltender interference after Devils head coach Lindy Ruff challenged.
The Lotto Line cashed in early in the game as the Canucks came out with a flying start. It was clear there was instant chemistry. The line got three goals in four minutes in the second period and looked unstoppable throughout the game. Pettersson, Miller and Boeser’s passes found each other and looked great on the transitions.
1min later…MILLER GOAL #2!#NHLAllStarVote JT Miller pic.twitter.com/dajtEnsIGG
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 7, 2024
“The gameplan didn’t change just because we were playing with Petey today,” said Miller after the game per Daniel Wagner of Vancouver Is Awesome. “None of the goals were fancy, they were all going to the net, making plays.”
The Lotto Line was a successful line for the Canucks in the past. Should they remain together? Absolutely.
Why are they called the Lotto Line?
The Lotto Line was first put together early in the 2019-20 season by former head coach Travis Green. Green currently is an associate coach with the Devils, so he got to see his creation torch his current team.
That 2019-20 season was Miller’s first as a Canuck as he was acquired at the draft from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a conditional first-round pick (which was eventually used by the New Jersey Devils to select Shakir Mukhamadullin in the 2020 draft) a 2019 third-round pick and minor league goaltender Marek Mazanec. Before the season, it was expected that Miller would be on the second line with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson while Pettersson and Boeser would be on the top line with Micheal Ferland.
They are called the Lotto Line because their jersey numbers are six, 40 and nine. In Canada, those numbers are significant because of Lotto 649, which is a popular lottery.
Who came up with the idea? It was by a Twitter user named Jacob Calvert. (Who by the way, wrote for Fansided’s The Canuck Way with this author at the time.)
Lotto Line Reunited and it feels so good. #Tbt #Lottoline pic.twitter.com/H25uPbaywi
— Jacob Calvert (@CanuckCalvert) January 7, 2024
The name stuck and it has over four years later.
How Successful Were They in the Past?
In 2019-20, the Lotto Line was one of the best lines in the NHL. Out of all lines that spent at least 250 minutes that season, they were seventh in the league at goals for percentage at 65.7% according to MoneyPuck.
The Lotto Line was also in a three-way tie for fifth in goals per 60 minutes at 4.15. They were tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs line of Zach Hyman, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner, as well as the line of Jason Zucker, Eric Staal and Mats Zuccarello from the Minnesota Wild.
The win in New Jersey by the Canucks displayed how good the Lotto Line was in 2019-20. They were dominant at 5 on 5, often spent a huge chunk of time in the offensive zone, looked dangerous on the rush and of course, put up the points.
Should the Lotto Line Remain Together?
Up until Saturday against the Devils, Pettersson and Miller have centred their own lines and had several different linemates. The Lotto Line was broken apart in the seasons following 2019-20, but Green and later Bruce Boudreau would put them back together in small doses.
But Rick Tocchet marked the return of the Lotto Line against the Devils and it gave the Canucks a winning ticket.
“Why not put it together every once in a while?,” said Tocchet when asked about the line after the game per Patrick Johnston of The Province. “We’ll see how long I’ll keep it together. Sometimes it’s a shot in the arm for the team…This is going to be situational. There’s going to be times when I need Petey on a different line as a centre.”
…the Answer Should be Yes
There is a risk to stacking the first line. The Canucks could be reliant on them too much for offence. But Pettersson does well when he has wingers that are dynamic and great offensively. It isn’t ideal to put him with the likes of Sam Lafferty.
Miller is naturally a centre but as a centre, he is relied upon to be a matchup player. As mentioned in a previous article, as much better Miller has been defensively this season and since Tocchet took over, he is simply not a matchup or shutdown guy. (Oh yeah, an ideal trade target would be a shutdown second-line centre.)
Pettersson needs to be put down the middle as he has proven to be one of the league’s best two-way centres. If Miller is on his wing, he can focus more on producing offensively. As for Boeser, having a playmaker in Pettersson could make his great season even better.
The Canucks have not had trouble getting scoring from other forwards this season. The line of Conor Garland, Dakota Joshua and Teddy Blueger doesn’t look like they will slow down and should be kept together. Pius Suter has proven he can hold down the fort defensively and contribute offensively.
It can’t last forever but in a small sample size, the Lotto Line being back together has worked. Since the bar has been raised in Vancouver, it is about finishing as high as possible this season. With the Lotto Line reunited, it’s time to go for the jackpot.
Main Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
