The Vancouver Canucks beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 in a shootout on Wednesday night. Defenseman Quinn Hughes made his return from injury and made an impact right away. He had an assist in nearly 30 minutes of ice time in his first game since March 1. Canucks center Elias Pettersson has been the center of attention for the fanbase and he had a huge goal to tie the game. He told Kayla Douglas of The Score that this is the win he wants to build on.
“It’s huge, huge for our group,” Pettersson said. “The battle everybody did, the effort. To be able to come back was good. Hopefully we can build on this.”
The win brought the Canucks and Flames to the exact same point total, 71. Calgary has the tiebreaker, and therefore the final playoff spot, because they have played fewer games. They are joined by the St Louis Blues and Utah Hockey Club in competition for the final spot.
Even though they gave up the extra point to the Flames in a shootout, a win is a win. The Canucks need a win after a dramatic season sent JT Miller out of town and nearly had Pettersson packing his bags. With Hughes back, they have a chance to pull away.
The Canucks need Elias Pettersson to make a run
The Canucks did not trade Elias Pettersson at the NHL trade deadline. They could have, especially with the season going sideways, but he is in Vancouver for the long haul. His no-trade clause kicks in on July 1, so the team needs him to return to his prior form for the end of this season.
Since March 13 of last season, Pettersson has scored 17 goals in 75 games. That is a drastic drop from the previous two full seasons, which saw him cross the 35-goal plateau. Without that scoring and Miller on the team anymore, the Canucks have no chance to succeed in a deep Western Conference.
The next four games for the Canucks are vital to their playoff chances. They host the lowly Chicago Blackhawks and have to snag two points from that. Then they play Utah, the first-place Winnipeg Jets, and the Blues in consecutive games. Anything less than six points from those four games could cost Vancouver the final spot, especially in the games against St Louis and Utah.
If the Canucks are going to win three of those games, Elias Petersson will be key to their success.
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