The Vancouver Canucks announced defenceman Elias Pettersson would not return for the third period against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.
It is believed that Pettersson was injured after taking a hit high from Connor Zary. The Flames forward acted in retaliation after Pettersson landed a clean open-ice hit on Nazem Kadri.
Zary catches Pettersson up high but appears to throw an elbow to Pettersson’s head:
Zary was assessed just a two-minute minor for interference on the play. Pettersson played just two shifts after the hit, spanning 33 seconds. He did not return for the second or third period.
The Canucks would not score on the ensuing power play, but Pius Suter scored the opening goal of the game 10 seconds after the man-advantage.
Vancouver will now play with five defenceman, one of which being a still ailing Quinn Hughes, who returned to the Canucks lineup for this pivotal game against the Flames. After blocking a shot late in the last game against the Montreal Canadiens, Tyler Myers was a late scratch from the lineup.
Pettersson has turned heads since being called up to the big club with his solid defensive play and thunderous hits. The Swedish defenceman has suited up in 14 games in Vancouver, recording two assists, 12 shots, 19 hits, 11 blocked shots, with one minor penalty in 13:07 minutes of average ice time and a minus-one rating.
The 21-year-old defenceman was selected 80th overall in the third round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, joining the professional ranks in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks last year. Pettersson has suited up in 46 games in Abbotsford, scoring one goal and 14 assists for 15 points with 44 penalty minutes and a plus-8 rating.
The injuries are starting to pile up for the Canucks on the blueline, as Derek Forbort looked to be grimising after blocking a shot with his hand earlier in the game. With Pettersson and Myers out of the lineup and Hughes and Forbort ailing as they push for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.