The Vancouver Canucks fell to their I-5 rival, the Seattle Kraken, 5-1, but the loss isn’t the biggest talking point to come from the contest.

Canucks forward and the team’s highest-paid player, Elias Pettersson, saw his role and minutes decline drastically on Saturday night. He played seven shifts in the first period, five in the second and then just three in the third period. And although he was hit by a Höglander shot in the third period, this was not injury-related.

Head Coach Adam Foote said that Pettersson’s benching was performance-related and explained his decision postgame:

“Well, he didn’t have his, whatever it was. He’s got to be better, and he knows that. He’s aware of that. We need more from him, and he’s got to find it. I’m sure [if] you talk to him, he knows he’s got to be better for us, and I’m sure we’ll see that next game.”

Pettersson started the game on the top line with Evander Kane and Jake DeBrusk on his wings. But after being on the ice for the opening goal against, the trio would split, and Pettersson found himself centring a line with Nils Höglander and Linus Karlsson – the two wingers on the fourth line.

That deployment rolled into the second period, where the Canucks seemingly ran four lines, with all four centremen playing between four and five minutes of 5v5 ice time. The third period is when we saw a shift.

A cross-checking penalty from Kraken forward Jared McCann as time expired in the second period sent the Canucks to the power play to start the third period. Oddly enough, Foote sent out his second unit, which consisted of Conor Garland, Evander Kane, Linus Karlsson, Zeev Buium and Tom Willander. After the Kraken clear the zone halfway through said power play, the second unit jumps over the boards: Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, Marco Rossi, Filip Hronek and Drew O’Connor. No Elias Pettersson on either of the Canucks’ power play units.

Pettersson saw his first shift (41 seconds) after the power play, followed by two more shifts (51 and 46 seconds) before the halfway mark of the frame. However, that was his last shift of the hockey game.

He did not play the final 9:47 minutes of the third period, in a game in which the Canucks trailed and were trying to claw their way back into the contest. With 5:15 remaining in the final frame, Foote decided to pull his goalie and attack 6-on-5. The first unit consisted of DeBrusk, Rossi, Boeser, O’Connor, Buium and Hronek. The second unit saw Kane, Blueger, Garland, Karlsson, Willander and M. Pettersson. Again, no Elias Pettersson in an extra-man situation.

The Canucks’ top centreman finished the game with 14:20 minutes of ice time – the second lowest of his season. Pettersson finished the game without a point or a shot on goal, with a minus-two rating. In speaking with the Athletic’s Thomas Drance postgame, Pettersson said, “Coach is coaching to win, whatever he decides I respect. I’ve got to be better…my number wasn’t called.”

Tonight’s game brings Pettersson’s season totals to 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points through 51 games with a minus-18 rating. These totals have him on an 82-game pace to finish with 56 points, which is a far cry from the 102-point season he had three years ago.

Foote was asked postgame if there were any specific areas in which he is looking for Pettersson to improve:

“Just in general,” Foote said. “Like, you know, he’s got to play with more, you know, more zip; like, put more pace to his game; more engaged. Good things will happen when he gets his motor going. He’s aware of it. So, I’m sure we’ll see it next game.”

Pettersson will have a chance to redeem himself in the Canucks’ next game on Monday, March 2, against the Dallas Stars.