The Vancouver Canucks had a handful of accomplishments and milestones in Monday’s comeback win, but it was a significant night for fan favorite Conor Garland.

Conor Garland

Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

“Con-or Gar-land!” clap-clap-clapclap-clap. “Con-or Gar-land!” clap-clap-clapclap-clap. “Con-or Gar-land!” clap-clap-clapclap-clap.

The chants rang out in the third period on Monday night at Rogers Arena. But they weren’t for one of Vancouver’s six stars who went to Toronto for all-star weekend. They weren’t even, really, for a big goal or a game-changing play.

Garland was serenaded while buzzing feverishly around the ice as the Canucks successfully defended a 4-3 lead over the Vegas Golden Knights.

Yes, it was an important lead and a big win — the first time in history the Canucks were able to take down Vegas in regulation time on home ice, and a solid response to a 6-3 loss at T-Mobile Arena last Tuesday. It also evened the season series at 2-2 against the defending Stanley Cup champs — who could be Vancouver’s first-round opponent in two weeks’ time.

And yes, Garland also earned first-star honors for his two goals earlier in the game — leading to more chants from the faithful.

The tone for the game was set at the morning skate when the entire team showed up wearing T-shirts that J.T. Miller had made to commemorate Garland’s 400th NHL game.

The irony here is multi-layered, as Miller explained.

First, Garland originally came up with the idea of getting shirts made for another player’s milestone, but his pal Miller flipped the script back on him.

Second, 400 games wouldn’t normally be considered a major NHL milestone. But it’s no small feat for a player who openly admits that his official measurement of 5-foot-10 is padded by a couple of inches and who was originally a fifth-round pick by the Arizona Coyotes in his second time through the draft at age 19.

In Garland’s third pro season, at age 22, Rick Tocchet was the coach who gave him his first NHL chance with the Coyotes.

“He was a point-getter, but he had to change his game into being a more complete player,” Tocchet recalled after Monday’s game. “We were with Arizona, and I told him when we were in practice, ‘You’re not a 17-minute player.’ He just looked at me and goes, ‘Well, you better make me one.’ ”

In his three seasons in Vancouver, Garland has averaged just over 15 minutes a game. But now on a line with Miller and Dakota Joshua, he logged his third-straight 18-minute night on Monday.

And as part of his 400th-game celebration, he scored his 100th and 101st career NHL goals, both from within five feet of the Vegas goal line.

“I don’t have the hardest shot, so that’s where I’m going to score from,” he said. “That’s a big D corps — it’s obviously tough to get on the inside of them. But when you do, you’ve got to convert because you’re not going to get many opportunities.”

Garland’s achievements on Monday overshadowed two other major milestones for his teammates.

Brock Boeser became just the 10th Canuck in franchise history to hit 40 goals and the first since Ryan Kesler and Daniel Sedin each tallied 41 in 2010-11. And J.T. Miller’s three-assist night got him to 100 points for the first time in his career at age 31.

He finished at 99 in 2021-22, and Garland takes responsibility.

“We had a look at it two years ago in Edmonton — we were on the same line,” he recalled. “I must have missed, like, three or four in the third. I always told him was my fault he didn’t hit it, so it was nice.”

Seeing Garland productive and thriving on Monday, it seems like light years have passed since rumors swirled that he had requested a trade at the beginning of the year.

He has clearly moved past that now, recently indicating on Hockey Night in Canada‘s After Hours and in other interviews that he and his wife are happy in Vancouver and that he’s embracing the passion of the fans.

“That’s the reward of playing in a Canadian market, playing in a big market like Vancouver,” he said. “The first two years were tough for our whole group. This year’s looking pretty good, and if the environment’s anything like that in the playoffs, it’s going to be a really cool place to play.”

With the win on Monday, the Canucks have now clinched home-ice advantage in the first round. They’ve also opened up a five-point cushion over second-place Edmonton, but the Oilers have two games still in hand.

Vancouver hosts the Coyotes on Wednesday, then will head north to go head-to-head against Edmonton on Saturday night, on Hockey Night in Canada.