How Elias Pettersson sparked vital Canucks victory before holiday break: 3 takeaways

By / / Sports / 6 minutes of reading


VANCOUVER — Before the Vancouver Canucks’ season started, who would have thought that a late December game against the San Jose Sharks would end up carrying actual weight?

The Canucks, having lost seven of their last 10 games and barely clinging onto a playoff spot, needed this one badly. They didn’t just need it to build some extra cushion in the standings but to turn the vibes around heading into the holiday break.

You wouldn’t call the Canucks’ performance commanding by any means, but they took care of business with a 4-3 victory over the Sharks. Most importantly, it was Elias Pettersson, who’s been under fire all season for his middling production, leading the charge. Unfortunately, it may have come at a cost as he left the game early in the third period and did not return.

Here are three takeaways from the victory.

Quinn Hughes dresses and sparks Canucks after team’s sluggish start

You could immediately sense the angst among Canucks fans when Rick Tocchet told reporters that Hughes was a little banged up and would be a game-time decision against the Sharks. For most teams, the possibility of missing their No.1 defenceman for a game against a bottom-feeder opponent wouldn’t induce this much concern, but Hughes’ importance to the Canucks is different.

Hughes isn’t just the Canucks’ best player and scoring leader, he singlehandedly flips the environment of the game when he steps on the ice. Can you imagine the blue line this team would be forced to ice if Hughes and Filip Hronek were both out?

Vancouver’s captain didn’t just end up dressing, he was back to logging a monstrous workload and driving the club’s offence. And the Canucks needed every bit of that juice because they got off to a tepid start. Nils Höglander drew a holding penalty just over a minute in and the Canucks had good puck control and generated a couple of shots on the ensuing power play, but after that, it was a challenge for them to sustain offensive pressure.

The game was choppy and low-event until William Eklund scored an electrifying one-timer goal on the power play. Down 1-0, Vancouver didn’t have a single five-on-five shot through the first 14 minutes. That’s when Hughes, like he so often does, made a play to change the game.

Carrying the puck down the left side on the rush, Hughes sent a perfect lateral pass into the crease for Brock Boeser to redirect past Yaroslav Askarov. It was remarkable that Hughes got his pass through to such a narrow target given the scrum of four players converging near the front of the net.

This ensured the Canucks entered the middle frame on even terms despite generating just two five-on-five shots in the opening 20 minutes.

Most violent game of Canucks’ season

You’d think the Canucks and Sharks had a bitter rivalry based on the physicality and nastiness of this game.

Tyler Myers got it started by crushing Eklund with a massive but clean open ice hit on the penalty kill. Eklund’s goal just moments later was a dramatic response, but the score wasn’t settled there. A few minutes later, Barclay Goodrow challenged Myers in response to his hit on Eklund and they fought.

The first period had other sizable hits, but the middle frame is when the bad blood really ramped up. Ty Dellandrea caught Teddy Blueger high with an awkward-looking hit and Danton Heinen, who’s never been known as a pugilist, jumped in to fight Dellandrea. Blueger and Conor Garland both skated to the Canucks’ penalty box to show Heinen their appreciation for stepping up in that moment.

Blueger got involved in some of the nastiness shortly after. He and Jan Rutta were wrestling at the front of the Sharks’ net on a shift, with the latter getting an extra penalty for knocking Blueger’s helmet off in the scrum.

Things calmed down in the third period, but this game had an unusual level of feeling and emotion for a late December contest.

Elias Pettersson electrifies Rogers Arena crowd

No Canuck needed a breakthrough performance like this one as badly as Pettersson. The 26-year-old star had no points in his last six games, just one goal in his last 12 games and was on pace for just 65 points before Monday’s game.

Pettersson responded by breaking the game wide-open for the Canucks late in the second period. Kiefer Sherwood’s 2-1 goal was a key turning point because the club had only mustered 13 shots entering the final TV timeout of the second period, but it was Pettersson who made sure to put the game out of reach.

Less than 30 seconds after Sherwood’s goal, Pettersson slalomed into the Sharks’ zone off the rush and feathered an east-west pass across to Jake DeBrusk. DeBrusk directed a puck on the net and Pettersson pounced on the rebound.

Garland barely made contact with Askarov at the front of the net on Pettersson’s goal, but the Sharks — perhaps sensing that a two-goal deficit would be challenging to come back from in the third period — made a Hail Mary goaltender interference challenge.

That’s when it turned from bad to worse for San Jose.

Pettersson’s goal stood and the Sharks were assessed a two-minute delay of game penalty for the failed challenge. J.T. Miller drew quickly another penalty on a partial breakaway, setting the Canucks up for a five-on-three advantage for nearly a full two minutes.

That’s when Pettersson went for the kill shot. He collected the puck from the right flank and crept in toward the net. Rutta had his stick firmly planted in the middle of the ice to deny a centering pass into the bumper and wasn’t applying any pressure on Pettersson, as if he was daring him to shoot. Pettersson took his time, stepped into the open space and uncorked a wicked top-shelf snipe.

The Canucks crowd fed off the frenzy of the back-to-back Pettersson goals and serenaded him with “Let’s go Petey” chants in what was probably one of the loudest moments inside Rogers Arena this season.

Hopefully, Pettersson won’t miss any additional game action after leaving the game in the third period and not returning.

(Photo: Bob Frid / Imagn Images)





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About The Author

Avatar of Elizabeth Wilson
Elizabeth Wilson is a news writer for Texas-Express.com, where she covers lifestyle, books, sports, education, and tech. She has been with the company since 2018. In her free time, Elizabeth likes to read and watch sci-fi movies. She also enjoys playing board games with friends and family.

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