Elias Pettersson snipes home a beauty for his first goal of his NHL career while the Canucks score four in the third period to defeat the Flames in their season opener. RECAP
Reporter Harrison Mooney has been assigned to watch Elias Pettersson tonight — not the Canucks, just Pettersson — and record his every move, shift-by-shift.
The Vancouver Canucks aren’t expected to be very good this season, but top prospect Elias Pettersson absolutely is.
The 2017 5th-overall pick dominated the Swedish Hockey League in his rookie season, winning pretty much everything, and sailed to North America this fall on a boatload of hype. Then, in his first NHL preseason, he continued to turn heads as the Canucks’ best player and leading scorer.
So here’s where the hype is at now: Pettersson is the trendy pick to win the Calder trophy for rookie of the year. Meanwhile, this reporter has been assigned to watch Pettersson tonight — not the Canucks, just Elias Pettersson — and record his every move, shift-by-shift. Frankly, it’s probably the ideal way to watch Vancouver this season.
Will Elias (rhymes with “rebellious”) Pettersson have one of those Bure-esque NHL debuts we talk about in hushed tones for years and years? One can only hope.
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FIRST PERIOD
1:42 – Ninety seconds into the game, Elias Pettersson hits the ice for the first time. It was a pretty uneventful twirl, as is standard for first shifts. He didn’t take the puck from end to end. He didn’t do any slick dekes. Instead, he stepped onto the ice, and then, eight seconds later, some distance away, the puck was deflected over the glass. His line came off.
4:11 – Pettersson’s second shift was only slightly longer than his first. It ended after 11 seconds, as Erik Gudbranson fought Travis Hamonic, necessitating a whistle. After two shifts, Pettersson has played 19 seconds. Noteworthy: 19 was Markus Naslund’s number. Is it a sign? I think it might be a sign.
7:43 – Another uneventful shift that never really gets going, as a Calgary defender bats down an airborne puck intended for Nikolay Goldobin and gets whistled for a hand pass just 27 seconds into the shift. Still, that half a minute doubled Pettersson’s icetime in this game. We’ll call it progress.
9:16 – The first shift that lasted long enough for Pettersson to be noticeable. After breaking up a Calgary rush at the blue line with a great backcheck, Pettersson turns the play back the other way. Nothing comes of it, but the sequence showcased Pettersson’s underrated two-way game, something that was rarely mentioned during his breakout SHL season. Granted, that’s because he was always scoring, but still. Pettersson isn’t just a playmaker. He’s also a play-killer, when the moment calls for it.
13:25 – GOAL. And then he scored. Elias Pettersson’s first NHL goal comes on his fifth NHL shift, as he takes a pass in the neutral zone and places his first shot of the game (and his NHL career) top corner, just inside the bar to put the Canucks up 1-0. I was beginning to worry that this shift-by-shift thing was a bad idea. It was getting kind of boring. Boy, was that worry short-lived. Ladies and gentlemen, Elias Pettersson:
Here’s a super-slo-mo angle, courtesy GIF-master extraordinaire, Ryan Biech. Watch and be sufficiently mesmerized by the stickwork, the poise, and flex. MY GOD, THE FLEX:
16:55 – Riding high on the emotion from the standing ovation he received following his first NHL goal, Pettersson very nearly created another goal, setting up Nikolay Goldobin in front with a nifty pass. Unfortunately, Goldobin couldn’t finish the play. Still, there’s no question that Dekey Pete is cooking now.
19:54 – Pettersson closes the period on the ice with another one of his super-duper short shifts: six seconds. He closes his first NHL period with a pretty impressive stat line: 2:45 TOI, one shot, one goal, one standing ovation. Through twenty minutes, only Brendan Leipsic has seen less icetime (2:25). But only Elias Pettersson has scored. It’s 1-0 Canucks.
SECOND PERIOD
1:44 – On his first shift of the second, Elias Pettersson causes a turnover in the Calgary end but his pass to a winger down low is broken up. Then, as the Flames try to turn the puck up ice, Pettersson gets back to break up the rush. That’s two takeaways in one shift — his longest of the game at 1:13, by the way. We can focus on the Calder for now, but is this kid gonna win a Selke one day? He will if we start saying it over and over, since the Selke is largely a reputation award.
5:19 – On his first powerplay opportunity of the game, Pettersson gets a chance at a one-timer from the half-wall — his bread-and-butter in the SHL — but he fans on it. He fanned a few times in the preseason from the same area as well. A shame, because you can see how much mustard he’s trying to put on that puck. When he gets his timing sorted out, that’s going to be a very dangerous play for the Canucks.
9:03 – Pettersson’s line gets pinned in their own end for the first time tonight, and you can see where the rookie is going to struggle at times this season: he’s crafty and skilled, but he’s still not very strong. If opponents can pin him along the boards or knock him to the ice and hold him down there, they will. Calgary did it successfully on this shift, and thus, the defensive gameplan has been set: if you want to prevent Elias Pettersson from scoring on you, sit on him 200 feet from your net.
14:29 – Pettersson’s back on the ice at the end of a penalty-kill, which reminds me: wondering why Pettersson’s minutes are so limited when he’s already, arguably, Vancouver’s best player? Three reasons: first, coach Travis Green tends to be sparing with his icetime for new guys — you’ll recall Brock Boeser was a healthy scratch for the first two games of last year — and second, Green is especially sparing with faceoff starts for centres he doesn’t trust to win draws. Pettersson says he’s working on his faceoffs, but he’s clearly not there yet, and Green agrees. So does the faceoff summary: Pettersson is 1-for-4. As a result, Pettersson’s line has mostly been changing on the fly tonight. (The third reason is that Pettersson doesn’t kill penalties, and that’s all the Canucks are doing right now.)
18:53 – An uneventful final shift of the second for Pettersson comes as the Flames are pressing for the equalizer. Most of the action is in Vancouver’s end of the ice, limiting Pettersson’s ability to do cool stuff, although I am once again impressed at his ability to patrol the middle of the ice and deny passing lanes. Still, defence is nowhere near as fun as offence — let’s hope the third period brings more dekes, sauce, flex and such. Pettersson ends the second with just 7:10 of icetime on 12 shifts. And he still has the game’s only goal.
THIRD PERIOD
1:32 – GOAL. You wanted more Pettersson? You got it. It’s a multi-point debut for the rookie, who steps onto the ice for his first shift of the third period and sets up Nikolay Goldobin for a goal at the side of the net. If the first goal showcased Pettersson’s finishing ability, this one showcases his poise and patience, as he takes the puck at the goalmouth and calmly moves it to his linemate for the wide-open finish. Shades of Henrik Sedin.
Now THAT'S how you start a period #Canucks! @NG078 with his first of the season 🚨 pic.twitter.com/I9NDVQKCOA — Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 4, 2018
2:20 – Another uneventful shift from Pettersson, but there was nearly an event, as Pettersson almost managed to get in alone with the puck. Instead, he lost the handle, and the scoring chance fizzled. Boy, is he dangerous. I was still writing up his last scoring play and he nearly went and did something else. Slow down, Elias. I can only type so fast.
5:46 – Fun little sequence for Pettersson on this shift: after dangling his way into the zone in typical Dekey Pete fashion, he’s stripped of the puck just inside the blueline. So he turns around and chases the play back into the neutral zone, taking the puck back at the redline. His stick tied up, he kicks it back to his defenceman and turns back up ice to start another rush. This kid is so, so good.
12:24 – The Pettersson line spends a shift hemmed in their own end as Calgary presses to cut the Canucks’ 4-2 lead in half, inside the final ten minutes. Pettersson flips a puck out of the zone that trickles into the Flames’ end and is blown down for icing (his parents strongly disagree in the stands), meaning he’ll have to take a defensive zone draw at a crucial moment. He loses it, but doesn’t let the puck get out to the wall, creating a scrum that falls Vancouver’s way. The Canucks are able to chip the puck out to centre ice and get the change.
13:36 – Elias Pettersson gets a nine-second shift — perhaps an homage to his early shifts — and then his night is done, as Travis Green elects to send out players he knows a little better to defend the lead. One imagines, later in the year, Pettersson’s line could become be Green’s first or second choice in moments like this, but it’s certainly reasonable for him to get stapled to the bench in the dying minutes of his first NHL game. Pettersson ends his debut with two points — a goal and an assist — in just 9:46 of icetime. Just under 10 minutes, and in that time, Pettersson managed to showcase his lethal shot, his impressive vision, his strong backcheck, and his general game-breaking ability. He was also named the game’s first star. One imagines we’ll be seeing much more of him.
Canucks win 5-2, by the way.
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VANCOUVER — Elias Pettersson had one thought when he hit the ice before his first NHL game Wednesday — stay upright.
The 19-year-old Vancouver Canucks centre said he knew about the league's tradition of initiating rookies with a solo skate during warm up, but hoped his teammates might make an exception.
"Maybe I thought they would forget it because it was lonely, not that fun," he said after the game.
"My only focus was not to fall."
Not only did Pettersson stay on his feet, he scored his first NHL goal on his first shot and tallied two points in the Canucks' 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames.
He got on the scoresheet midway through the first period, collecting the puck in the neutral zone and then sprinting into Calgary's end with teammate Derrick Pouliot for a two-on-one. Pettersson opted not to pass, instead rocketing a wrist shot into the top of the net.
That brought the fans to their feet and prompted chants of "Petter-sson," a reaction that wowed the young Swede.
"Everyone on the team congratulated me, including the coaches. And then I didn't expect a standing ovation from the crowd. So that was amazing," said Pettersson, whose parents were among those in attendance at Rogers Arena.
His teammate Erik Gudbranson said the former star of the Swedish Hockey League was an "absolute stud" in his NHL debut.
"One of the most impressive things about him is how responsible he is and how competitive he is," Gudbranson said. "If he turns the puck over, he's right back on it and he takes it away from you. He doesn't give up anything. He plays the game incredibly well."
Even Calgary's netminder Mike Smith had kind words for Pettersson.
"He made a great shot, he put right in the top corner. I got a piece of it with the glove, but yeah I have heard quite a bit about this young kid and he let her go and hit the perfect spot there," Smith said.
All of Vancouver's goals Wednesday night came from players under the age of 25.
Brendan Leipsic, Jake Virtanen, Nikolay Goldobin and Tyler Motte — on an empty-netter — all scored in the season opener. Goldobin added an assist and veteran centreman Loui Eriksson had a pair of helpers.
Matthew Tkachuk and Sean Monahan responded for the Flames.
Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom turned away 20 of 23 shots, while Smith stopped 30 of 35.
Vancouver head coach Travis Green said Markstrom was great in net, but played better when they were up 1-0 in the first than 4-1 in the third.
"We got a little sloppy with the puck. That was not a Picasso by any means," he said.
"You're never going to complain about a win, but we're going to go over every game and continue to teach these guys."
Green said he wants to see his squad be better on their sticks and take fewer penalties.
Calgary was unable to capitalize on any of their seven power-play chances Wednesday.
Flames head coach Bill Peters said his team had speed on the breakout, but lacked execution.
"Not enough pace, and not enough execution on it and not enough desperation," he said.
"At one point, I think through 40 (minutes) we were 1 for 7 on faceoffs on the power play, so it's an important part of the game."
Capitalizing when your team has an advantage is key, said left winger James Neal, who signed with the Flames as a free agent in July.
"The power play is crucial, it wins and loses you games. There's no excuse, we've practiced it enough, we should have been a little bit more crisp," he said.
"We just have to be better on the power play. We score one of those goals early and it's a different game."
The Flames and Canucks will have a rematch Saturday in Calgary, the first stop in a six-game road trip for Vancouver.
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NOTES
Elias Pettersson wasn't the only rookie to score in his debut Wednesday night. Anaheim left winger Max Comtois scored 49 seconds into his first game, where the Ducks beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2. ... Vancouver's Erik Gudbranson and Calgary's Travis Hamonic came to blows in the first period, resulting in five-minute fighting penalties for both. Hamonic left the game, but later returned wearing a full-face mask.
The experts have weight in, the models been run, and EA Sports simulated the season in a video game. Now, the puck is about to drop on the start of the 2018-19 NHL season and I want to know one thing: how well do you think the Canucks will do?
It’s time to jump into the comment section and make your own prediction. How many points will the Canucks amass by the end of the season? What will their record be? You can even throw in your own projections for the point totals of players like Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, and Elias Pettersson, as well as your prediction for the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.
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As a reminder, here’s what the pundits, gambling sportsbooks, and analytical models have to say:
Pundit/Publication/Model Points Position in Pacific Position in NHL Kevin Allen, USA Today 76 8 27 The Sporting News 71 8 30 The Hockey News n/a 8 n/a Bodog 77.5 8 28 Westgate Sportsbook 77.5 8 28 Andy MacNeil, Vegas Stats & Information Network 79.1 8 29 Rob Pizzola 78 8 29 Emmanuel Perry, Corsica 76.9 7 27 Micah McCurdy, HockeyViz 86.8 8 24 Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic 77.6 8 29 Average 77.8 7.9 27.9
Your prediction could skew to the average of the experts, or you could be aggressively optimistic or pessimistic. Do you think the Canucks are going to shock the world and make the playoffs? Go ahead and make that 98-point prediction. Do you think this season is going to be an unmitigated disaster? Say it. Say 50 points. I dare you.
Here are my completely unscientific predictions. Feel free to make fun of me in the future for any of these predictions that I get hilariously wrong and I will steadfastly deny I ever made those predictions, even though the evidence is right here:
I think the Canucks will underperform the models, but not by much. Let’s go with 74 points and a 32-40-10 record. That will make them last in the Pacific Division, but not last in the Western Conference; let’s say that the Chicago Blackhawks fully collapse and finish beneath them.
But I’m going to be bold and optimistic and predict 40 goals for Brock Boeser, 70 points for Bo Horvat, and 65 points for Elias Pettersson. I think the young guns could excel; I just don’t think the supporting cast will be enough for the wins to start piling up.
I’m picking the Winnipeg Jets to win the Presidents’ Trophy, but I think the Nashville Predators will meet the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, with the Predators winning it all.
What say you? Am I ridiculously off-base? Do you have a finely-tuned crystal ball and know better? Sound off in the comments!
