The Canuck Way
Fansided

Canucks: 3 takeaways from the 6-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators

By Zaahid Lalani

VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 22: Olli Juolevi #48 of the Vancouver Canucks tries to defend against the shot of Shane Pinto #57 of the Ottawa Senators during NHL action at Rogers Arena on April 22, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 22: Olli Juolevi #48 of the Vancouver Canucks tries to defend against the shot of Shane Pinto #57 of the Ottawa Senators during NHL action at Rogers Arena on April 22, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 19: Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks wearing the team’s reverse retro jerseys shoots the puck warms up prior to NHL hockey action against the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Arena on February 19, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 19: Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks wearing the team’s reverse retro jerseys shoots the puck warms up prior to NHL hockey action against the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Arena on February 19, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

2. Elias Pettersson is greatly missed

Yes, we know we’re stating the obvious here. But sometimes, you just need to say what everyone else is thinking; get it all out in the open; try to shake the bad vibes off on your own. So that’s exactly what we’re going to do when it comes to Elias Pettersson right now.

There’s no surprise that the Canucks have had trouble finding the back of the net at numerous points throughout the season, with this past four-game series being the most recent stretch.

The bottom-six forward group has been a hot mess, with players like Jake Virtanen and Zack MacEwen consistently underperforming in their limited roles. In particular, MacEwen, who was inserted onto the third line on Wednesday, struggled mightily in his return. The 24-year-old recorded zero SOG, seven PIM and a minus-two rating in just over nine minutes of ice time.

Jimmy Vesey, who was claimed off of waivers in March, continues to be a major letdown. The former Toronto Maple Leaf has been given ample opportunity to prove himself on the top two lines, but has nothing to show for it so far. He went pointless in his first eight games with the club and was a healthy scratch on Wednesday as a result.

Even Bo Horvat, J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser have gone quiet as of late. The trio has combined for zero points, 14 SOG and a minus seven rating over the past two contests, all while facing an AHL-calibre goalie in Marcus Högberg.

Of course, Pettersson wouldn’t be able to help the third and fourth lines to find their offensive groove unless Green rolled him out for the full 60. But, much like Miller’s return in January, we all know that it can take just one electric player to ignite an entire team, and Pettersson has proven to be that guy in recent history.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like EP40 will be returning to the lineup anytime soon, so hopefully, his teammates will wake up and realize on their own that someone needs to find a way to score ASAP.

Home/Editorials