Can Elias Pettersson turn things around in time to be a major factor against Nashville?: Canucks Conversation
1 day ago
On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Irfaan Gaffar discussed what was a rough outing for Elias Pettersson in game 2 of the playoffs against Nashville. The Canucks had plenty of chances in the game, none more so than Pettersson, who missed a wide open net with just seconds left in the 2nd period which is perhaps the most glaring mistake.
“Elias Pettersson is going to make eleven million dollars,” Irf stated. “If that’s the case, why is he the guy that needs better wingers? He should be the driving force of that line and making things happen, and he’s not.”
“Tocchet spoke about the urgency of shooting the puck,” Quads continued. “Elias Pettersson looks like if he’s given the option between a bag-skate or shooting the puck five times, he’s taking the bag-skate. He seems hesitant to shoot – he’s double-clutching, looking for passes even with open nets. That’s unlike him.”
Irf chimed in, adding, “If people thought there was some magic button that was going to be pushed, it wasn’t going to be there. He hasn’t been in form for quite some time. Is he battling an injury? Maybe, maybe not. But the thing about Elias Pettersson is he doesn’t like to be leaned on. And with the Canucks, if you play a big, physical, heavy game against them, your chances of winning are a little higher. This is especially true for Pettersson. I know he throws the reverse-hit and looks cool, and he gets involved physically, but the Canucks don’t need that from him every single game. They need him to stand in that corner where he’s made his money and shoot the hockey puck. It’s a shame, he’s too good of a player to not be doing that. He’s got to figure it out over the course of the next two days.”
Irf then speculated on ways Pettersson might turn his game around: “Maybe going on the road, getting into a building where fans are going to talk all sorts of smack to you during warmup, where people aren’t going to like you, that might be a good thing. Here [in Vancouver], maybe the pressure is getting to him a bit. I know he deeply cares about winning, but he has to consider several factors. The big, physical type of game in the playoffs is something he’s never seen before. But you’re one of the team’s best players, part of this core group – you can’t have efforts like you did the last few nights.”
Quads concluded, “This team is already without Thatcher Demko, who is a very important player. They can’t also be without Elias Pettersson at his best.”
Pettersson’s struggles underscore the challenges the Canucks face as they try to mount a playoff push against a physical Nashville team. The team will need their star forward to find his shooting touch and regain his form if they hope to progress in the playoffs.
You can watch the full replay of today’s show below:
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