At long last, defenceman Elias Pettersson has scored his first NHL goal for the Vancouver Canucks.
Just around midway through the first period in Saturday afternoon's game against the Anaheim Ducks, Pettersson, 20, picked up his first NHL goal to tie the game at 1-1, inherently ending his 21-game scoring drought at the same time.
After backchecking hard through the neutral zone to try and aid fellow defenceman Derek Forbort, Pettersson turned back up the ice and aggressively followed his route to the Ducks' high slot with the Canucks having possession of the puck in the offensive zone.
Elias Pettersson has his first NHL goal! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/dazTAFnF0B
— NHL (@NHL) April 5, 2025
Linus Karlsson, who had the initial zone entry, did well to buy himself time by slicing across the ice to the left circle. After sucking in one Ducks defender away from the middle of the ice, Karlsson recognized Pettersson's route and swatted the puck in his direction, earning his first NHL assist.
The Canucks' former third-round pick, as we know, took care of the rest, blasting a well-placed one-timer past standout Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal to tie the game at 1-1.
Pettersson's goal was the one that got the Canucks going, as fellow defenceman Filip Hronek gave the Canucks the lead just 1:06 later.
By the end of the first period, Brock Boeser, Conor Garland, and Dakota Joshua would all find the back of the net, giving the Canucks an insurmountable 5-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
In response to a second-period Trevor Zegras goal, Max Sasson scored his third goal of the season to give the Canucks a 6-2 lead, which ultimately ended up as the final score.
With his goal against the Ducks, Pettersson has one goal, two assists, and three points in 22 games for the Canucks this season while averaging 12:24 of ice time per game.