Pettersson gets spicy with Vancouver Canucks media after Miller questions

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Tensions are rising for the Vancouver Canucks.

That was evident post-game based on comments from both Elias Pettersson and Rick Tocchet after the Canucks lost another game on home ice Saturday night.

On a day where Quinn Hughes shed light on the alleged locker room rift between Pettersson and J.T. Miller, stating that he knows the situation is “workable,” the Canucks’ highest paid player had a much testier answer when asked about his relationship with Miller.

“I don’t know why people still try and make sh*t up,” Pettersson told reporters bluntly after a 5-4 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators.

When a reporter followed up by asking if the situation hasn’t been a distraction, Pettersson showcased further frustration.

“Oh my God, next question.”

Well, it looks like this story isn’t going away anytime soon. At least not until Pettersson and Miller break out of their slumps.

Pettersson was held pointless for a sixth straight game against the Senators on Saturday night. While he did have some moments, including a sublime first period offensive zone deke and two drawn penalties, he still isn’t anywhere close to the game-breaking player that Canucks fans have come to know and love.

As for Miller, he did set up Brock Boeser for his first goal in five games.

Aside from that, it was a really tough night for Miller.

At least with Pettersson, the defensive floor is there. Miller, on the other hand, was directly to blame for two of Ottawa’s goals.

With the game tied late in the second period, the Canucks had a power play opportunity to take the lead. Instead, Miller completely lost his man, Josh Norris, which led to a shorthanded goal against.

Then in overtime, Miller got walked by Jake Sanderson just seconds into overtime, which ended the game.

After the game, Tocchet was vocally frustrated with Miller.

“The shorthanded goal, it can’t happen,” Tocchet said.

“Those are key moments, and that’s an egregious play.”

“It’s Millsy’s guy. That’s his guy. If he just stays back… I don’t know if he got surprised. You just gotta be focused at all times.”

This was the second game in a row where Miller barely crested the 15-minute mark in ice time (15:15). At even strength, he was sixth among Canucks forwards in ice time.

It appeared as though Pius Suter got a bit of extra time playing in Miller’s spot in the third period. With about five minutes to go, it was Suter who was on the ice with Miller’s linemates, Boeser and Phil Di Giuseppe, when Boeser tied the game 4-4.

Miller averaged 19:29 of ice time per game last season, and there were only a handful of games when his minutes were around the 15-minute mark.

“You’ve got to know what’s going on ahead of you,” Tocchet said.  “Yeah, you’re going to make mistakes. But, there’s too many times where, I use the word egregious, it’s like, that’s your man. You’ve got to take him. For whatever reason. We get lost in the moment sometimes.”

Where would the Canucks be without Hughes?

On a night where Pettersson and Miller weren’t at their best, the same couldn’t be said about the Canucks captain.

Hughes had another monster night from the back end. He had a goal and two primary assists by the time the game was barely past the midway point.

According to HockeyStatCards.com’s game-score metric, this was the fourth-best performance by a Canucks player this season. The only games where a Canuck was more impactful was Hughes in contests against the Chicago Blackhawks (October 22) and Anaheim Ducks (November 5), along with Jake DeBrusk’s performance against the Senators back on November 23.

Performances like this from Hughes are about as common as a rainy fall day in Vancouver. It’s why he deserve some Hart Trophy love at this point of the season.

“I mean, I don’t know if it doesn’t surprise you anymore, right? He’s an amazing hockey player,” Boeser said. “We’re witnessing greatness from a defenceman right in front of our eyes. He’s a special player. He demands a puck. He has such a high standard for himself, and it just doesn’t surprise me that he’s out there dominating game.”

If Pettersson and Miller start doing the same, the Canucks could be a force to be reckoned with.

Until then, they might be nothing more than a wild card team.

The Canucks ended the night tied with the Calgary Flames for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Both teams are just one point up on the Dallas Stars, who have played two fewer games than the Canucks and Flames.

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