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Elias Pettersson was far from his best on Tuesday night as the Vancouver Canucks lost Game 2 of their first round series against the Nashville Predators. He made numerous glaring errors that in a frustrating performance that encapsulated the game’s feeling as a whole.
The most obvious miss was on a one-timer in the dying seconds of the first period. Pettersson had a wide-open target and hit the side of the net. He was visibly irritated after failing to convert.
Elias Pettersson is gonna have nightmares about this one 😩 pic.twitter.com/iRRgotsLbo
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 24, 2024
“I knew I had an open net, I think the puck stood on edge but either way I’ve got to score,” said the Swedish forward about the play after the game.
The missed opportunity was a frustrating moment in a game full of them. The Predators had 30 blocked shots on the night and made it difficult for the Canucks to get anything through.
“I think we are creating our looks, we are creating scoring chances. They’re doing a good job blocking shots so we’ve got to find a way to get them through,” said the alternate captain after the game.
That wasn’t his only obvious gaff as a brutal turnover by Pettersson later in the second period led directly to the Predators adding to their lead.
Colton Sissons adds to the Preds lead! pic.twitter.com/ZusxEJz6zl
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 24, 2024
“I put us in a bad spot with my mistake on their third goal, can’t happen. If I score in the first period, it’s a 1-1 game, different outlook,” commented Pettersson about his play tonight.
“I’m always my biggest critic and I take a lot of blame for this one.”
The forward who inked a massive contract this season after months of negotiations has been nowhere to be found through the first two playoff games.
The Canucks have been outshot 12-4 with Pettersson on the ice at five-on-five during this series so far. They’re controlling just 32.04% of the expected goals during those minutes, the second-worst of any player.
He had nine shot attempts tonight and didn’t manage to get a single one through to the net.
Elias Pettersson had nine shot attempts, seven blocked, zero on net and was a -3.
— Irfaan Gaffar (@irfgaffar) April 24, 2024
“I think Petey, like the team, I think there’s times we’re not decisive,” said head coach Rick Tocchet about the player’s performance tonight. “He’s got to dust himself off and be ready for Game 3.”
“I want to see him shoot the puck, like he’s got to take it. I think he’ll be fine, this is good for him, good learning lesson.”
The Canucks have two days off before the series moves to Nashville. After losing home-ice advantage, they’ll need Pettersson to pick it up quickly if they want to stay afloat in this series.