Some positive news for the Vancouver Canucks heading into the weekend.
After team practice on Friday, head coach Rick Tocchet revealed that defenseman Elias Pettersson is a “full go”, and is expected to be in the lineup when the Canucks host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.
On another note, rearguard Tyler Myers has been upgraded to probable status for the Hockey Night in Canada clash with the Original Six foe.
Rick Tocchet says Tyler Myers has been upgraded to probable ahead of tomorrow's game vs. Chicago. Says D-Petey is "full go" #Canucks @Sportsnet650
— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) March 14, 2025
The younger of the two Elias’ on the team left Wednesday night’s game against the Calgary Flames early due to an apparent upper-body injury after receiving a high hit from Flames forward Connor Zary. Zary would get suspended for two games for the incident.
Pettersson played only 4:06 before exiting the game, which ended with Vancouver winning 4-3.
The 21-year-old has been up with the Canucks since late January after the team called up him up from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Pettersson has appeared in 15 games so far, registering two assists with a plus/minus of -2. The rookie has averaged 12:31 of ice time, playing a season-high 16:44 in a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on March 9.
Myers was a late scratch for Wednesday night’s game, as he wasn’t present for warmups. It was the first game the veteran blueliner has missed since he served his three-game suspension for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard late in January.
The 35-year-old has appeared in 61 games this year, scoring four goals and 17 assists for 21 points, posting a -6 rating while averaging 20:47 of ice time.
Lately, Pettersson had been playing alongside Filip Hronek, while Myers had been spending most of his ice time with Marcus Pettersson. With Myers missing the game against the Flames, Marcus Pettersson was paired with Victor Mancini.
The Canucks (30-24-11) are tied with the Flames for fourth in the Pacific Division, with Calgary holding the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.