Canucks coach Rick Tocchet, unsurprisingly, agreed with Pettersson’s analysis of the first period…
– It was one of our best first periods in probably a month, it was cruel, the coach snuggled. Everyone was in phase.
… although he was less positive about the team’s effort the rest of the way:
– We should have given Demko an easier journey. We lost focus. We didn’t play properly, we backed off, we stepped forward when we shouldn’t have. I didn’t like that.
For the Senators, the game was a disappointment right through, something defender Thomas Chabot put into words:
– You won’t win very many games in the NHL when you concede five goals in the first period, that’s just the way it is. Especially not against a team like Vancouver that has had great success this season.
With the win, the Canucks climbed to 51 points recorded in 37 games, which places the team at the top of the Western Conference at the moment – a stark contrast from last season when the team finished 11th in the Western and missed the playoffs.
However, Pettersson did his part, also last season, with 102 points (39+63) in 80 games – an even and steady scoring pace the Swede built on during 2023-24.
The fact is that during the calendar year 2023, which thus includes parts of both last season and this year, Pettersson recorded 101 points (35+66) in 82 games; a total no other Swedish player could threaten. Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander accounted for 93 points (36+57) in 79 games and Mika Zibanejad recorded a clearly approved 89 points (37+52) in 80 games.
2024-01-03 08:03:02
#Canucks #Pettersson #started #NHL.comen
