Canucks: 3 takeaways from 2-1 shootout loss to Florida

Pettersson, Boeser, Höglander buzzing together

Like Martin, the team also saw strong performances from Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Nils Höglander on Friday night.

With so many top-six forwards on the sidelines, the trio came together to form Vancouver’s top line, and they definitely made the most of the opportunity.

Pettersson, Boeser and Höglander were buzzing right from puck drop, with each player carrying part of the offensive and top-end responsibility for their team for most of the contest.

The trio’s first real scoring opportunity came early on in the first period after Höglander found himself alone in front of Spencer Knight, but was unable to sneak the puck past the netminder’s out-stretched pad.

The top line carried this momentum into the middle frame, effectively moving the puck to create a few more scoring opportunities, while also delivering strong defensive fundamentals to help shutdown Florida’s top players. This was highlighted by an intelligent backcheck from Boeser on his team’s third powerplay of the game, breaking up a possible 2-0 rush for Florida.

The trio were ultimately unable to find the scoresheet in the end, but it was an encouraging game for all three players, especially given that they’ll likely be relied upon to carry the forward group for the remainder of this three-game homestand.

Pettersson, Boeser and Höglander finished the evening with a combined 10 shots on goals, led by six from Höglander alone.

The Swedish sophomore didn’t see as much ice time as his linemates, but still managed to log just over 15 minutes, including 1:16 on the secondary powerplay unit, while Pettersson and Boeser led the way in TOI with 22+ minutes each.