If Conor Garland was told two years ago that he’d be in the NHL playing on a line with Taylor Hall, what would have been his response?

“The Coyotes probably traded for him.”

Really, Conor? That’s all you’ve got?

It might not be as colorful a response as we were hoping, but it does help illustrate a point about Garland, who leads the Coyotes with 14 goals this season. 

Garland isn’t fazed by big-name linemates or pressure situations. He’s playing the same way, regardless if he’s getting minutes on the fourth line or first.

Right now, it’s the latter. Granted it’s been just four games since Garland, Hall and Christian Dvorak have been regular linemates, but in parts of seven games in which both Garland and Hall have been on the ice together at even-strength, their possession statistics and scoring chances have been prolific.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Garland and Hall have logged 41:07 of time together at even-strength this season. In those minutes, the Coyotes have a Corsi For Percentage — measure of shot attempts for vs. shot attempts against — of 63.44 percent. 

Compare that with Garland’s season statistics without Hall this season — 427:45 over 42 games and a 49.03 CF%, despite leading the team in goals. Garland’s expected goals-for percentage, a statistic used to determine the share of goals a team should have, has jumped from 48.83% to 65.90% with Hall on the ice.

Garland has undoubtedly benefited from being put on a line with Hall, as evidenced by Garland’s five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in his last four games. Garland went the previous eight games with just one goal.

But Hall, an elite skater and playmaker, has also seemed to benefit from Garland, a shoot-first winger. Hall’s CF% goes from 50.34 to the aforementioned 63.44 with Garland on the ice. His xGF% also rises from 51.81 to that 65.90 figure.

Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet said it was by design to get Garland some more playing time after the sophomore recovered from a recent injury that sidelined him for a game. 

When the experiment to pair Hall with Phil Kessel didn’t show results, Tocchet elected to replace Kessel with Garland instead. The decision has paid off.

“I just wanted to get ‘Gars’ a little more ice time,” Tocchet said of Garland. “He was a little banged up but when he was healthy I said, ‘I’ve got to get him out there a little more.’ He brings energy to that line, and I think ‘Hallsy’ feeds off him.”

The secret sauce to the line just may be Dvorak, with whom Garland and Hall have combined for an elite 64.77 CF% and 66.28 xGF% when on the ice together.

Dvorak has been the one constant for Hall since the trade to bring him over from the New Jersey Devils. Hall, who has five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in eight games with the Coyotes, has played just 14:46 without Dvorak and has a 27.78 CF% during that short amount of time.

Dvorak anchors the line with excellent two-way play and proficiency in the face-off circle. Entering play Friday, Dvorak was fifth in the NHL with a 58.3 face-off win percentage. He’s positionally responsible and possesses the intangibles that allow Hall and Garland to be creative.

“To have a guy in the middle like ‘Dvo’ is super helpful,” Garland said. “But whoever you’re playing with … we’ve got a pretty deep forward group and guys can go in or out wherever. Right now we’ve got some chemistry and we’ve got to try and keep that going and be a threat on the ice every time we’re out there.”

Even on a night where all four lines produced an even-strength goal in a 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks — the first time in Coyotes history all 12 forwards recorded a point in the same game — it was the top line of Hall, Dvorak and Garland that stole the show.

“They play with a lot of energy,” Dvorak said of Garland and Hall. “They’re great players to play with. I think it’s still a little bit of a work-in-progress but we’re getting better as the games go on and we’ve got to keep getting better.”

Up next

Coyotes vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 6 p.m., Saturday: The Coyotes (23-16-4) look to wrap up a four-game homestand with a third consecutive win. … This is the second and final game between the teams this season, with the Coyotes earning a 3-1 win in Philadelphia on Dec. 5. … The Coyotes have earned a point in nine of their last 11 games against the Flyers (6-2-3). … The Flyers have lost three of their last four games.

Richard Morin covers the Coyotes and Diamondbacks for azcentral sports. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ramorin_azc.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.