TORONTO – Brock Boeser said bluntly what everyone else was thinking about Elias Pettersson — the NHL’s Calder Trophy frontrunner by 100 miles, a young talent so otherworldly they call him Alien:
“It sucks having him out of the lineup tonight.”
Saturday evening in the mecca. One anthem. Wizards on ice in both rooms. Hockey Night in Canada. This should’ve been a prime-time introduction to the casual, Eastern Time Zone hockey fan to a kid who deserves all the thundering buzz surrounding his 22-goal, 42-point rip through his first 38 games in North America.
“I remember when I was a kid playing road hockey, I felt like I could do anything I wanted with the puck, and that’s a nice feeling — but there’s probably only a few guys who could get that feeling on the ice,” Travis Green says. The Canucks coach is trying to imagine what it might be like to see the game as Pettersson does.
“We think we have a special player, and we’re just starting to see what he can do.”
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What the slender, 20-year-old Swede cannot do is remain immune to the 30 to 40 little hooks and holds (Green’s estimate) that occur during 60 frantic NHL minutes on small ice.
That’s how Green describes Montreal’s golden-boy centre Jasperi Kotkaniemi’s entanglement with Pettersson Thursday night away from the puck, a run-in that failed to yield a penalty call but injured the Vancouver star’s knee.
“All top guys get in those plays, and unfortunately he got hurt from it,” Green said through his game face, following a spirited morning skate at Scotiabank Arena.
“There’s no sense in going off on anything. I don’t think it was a malicious play.”
Subtract the club leader in goals, assists, points, plus/minus, game-winners and shooting percentage from a group that ranks 19th in offence (2.89 goals per game) and throw them out against a dangerous Maple Leafs outfit that ranks second in the category (3.67 goals per game), and Vancouver’s challenge appears mountainesque.
“It’s tough when you lose your top guy, your leading scorer. It’s an unfortunate play,” Boeser said. “We’re gonna need some guys to step up tonight. We’re playing one of the top teams in the league and a lot of skill guys.”
Green is expected to replace Pettersson as Boeser’s centreman with Brandon Sutter, he of four points in 2018-19.
“Oh, it irks me a bit. He’s hurt and out. He’s an excellent player,” Green said. “Obviously, I’m upset that he’s not playing. He’s out of our lineup. But he’s gonna get attention, little holds, little hooks.
“If you ask Petey, he engaged in it a little bit. He pushed back.”
Pettersson did explain the collision — which saw no physical retribution from his teammates and has enraged a vocal portion of Vancouver’s fanbase — to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos.
“He hooked my leg a little bit – I was going to reverse him or stop him – and it was an accident,” Pettersson said during an interview airing Saturday. “We got tangled up, we both fell down and I got in an awkward position. It wasn’t a dirty play or anything. He apologized afterwards, which shows good sportsmanship from him. So it was really just unlucky for me, and it’s nothing too serious.”
The blue-collar Canucks are embracing a next-man-up mentality and remain hopeful for a speedy return for their all-star game rep.
“The sooner, the better,” said Green, noting that Pettersson will undergo an MRI on his knee Saturday afternoon in Toronto. “He’s walking around well. He looks good.”
Assuming the damage is minor, the Canucks — still hovering in the playoff mix — can take some solace knowing they have a rare four-day break after facing the Leafs.
Vancouver will also dress the more established goaltender, Jacob Markstrom, against Michael Hutchinson, the Leafs’ recently acquired third-stringer. (Canucks’ prized AHL graduate, Thatcher Demko, will back up, and Green is tight-lipped on his plans for his first start.)
“We’re not coming here to lose,” Green said. “We’re here to win.”
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