Vancouver Canucks' Elias Pettersson 'Rolling Up The Sleeves' In Much-Needed Home Win

If the last two games are anything to go by, it’s time to stop worrying about Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson.

On his 26th birthday on Tuesday night, the Canucks’ $11.6-million man was named the game’s first star in his team’s 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena.

His power-play goal early in the second period got the Canucks on the scoreboard after they surrendered the opening goal for the eighth-consecutive game. In the third, he added an assist on Erik Brannstrom’s first as a Canuck, which sealed the win.

"He just seems like in the last week, he's really kind of, 'Enough's enough,' " said coach Rick Tocchet after the game. "He's rolling up the sleeves, and that's what I want to see from him. He has put out some good efforts for us."

Pettersson was also rock solid in the faceoff circle on Tuesday, winning 13 of 22 draws. He even led the Canucks with four blocked shots, and on a night where his team was charged with an astonishing 32 giveaways, he was tagged with just one.

It’s all very encouraging. After managing just five points in his first 11 games, he came into Tuesday's contest after a strong two-point effort in the Canucks’ 7-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers last Saturday.

While those counting stats are nice to have, the Canucks desperately wanted to claim the two standings points on Tuesday.

Some of the emotional capital that the Canucks had built with their fans last season was frittering away amid the team's 1-2-3 start and porous defensive play on home ice.

Facing a division rival that had spoiled the season opener by coming back to claim a 6-5 overtime win, it was time to end the night on the right side of the ledger — especially against a Flames team that was on a back-to-back and playing its fourth game in six nights across three time zones.

After Justin Kirkland opened the scoring with his second goal of the year late in the first period, Daniil Miromanov's high-sticking penalty — drawn by Pettersson — set the stage for the Canucks to deliver a dominant second period.

It took just 2:38 for the home side to claim the lead off Pettersson's power-play marker and a smart goal from Pius Suter, the do-everything forward currently skating on J.T. Miller's wing.

"I love playing with Pius," said Miller, who also finished the night with two points. "He's just in the right spot all the time. There's nothing flashy about his game. He's leading our team in goals quietly, I think, at this point, and he put it in the net. We have a good chemistry, and he does a lot of subtle things that make my job easier."

Now in his fifth NHL campaign, Suter reliably scores 14 to 15 goals every year. On Tuesday, he notched his sixth in his 13th game, tying the injured Brock Boeser for the team lead.

Tocchet assembled a solid game plan for his team on Tuesday. The first and third periods were fairly even, but in the middle frame, when the tired Flames were dealing with the long line change, Vancouver controlled over 94 percent of expected goals at 5-on-5, according to naturalstattrick.com.

"We just play fast," Miller said. "We don't mess around with the puck. We don't swing when it gets flipped out. They're tired, so they've got to make a bad change or they've got to play tired. We knew, in that case, on the back-to-back and that long change, and we didn't give them any life."

Limiting the Flames to just one high-danger scoring chance at 5-on-5 after the first period also served as a confidence booster for Kevin Lankinen after he was torched for seven on Saturday night.

"I don't care if he let in 10 goals against Edmonton — he deserved to play tonight," Tocchet said. "And he's a battler. He battles hard. He played another good game. That's all he does, is play good games for us. A credit to him. Really a fan of him, because he stays in the moment."

While 20-year-old world juniors MVP Jonathan Lekkerimaki didn't hit the scoresheet in his NHL debut, he did log a solid 14:07 and see some power-play time, where he unfurled his rocket of a shot to the delight and dismay of his parents in the stands.

"He's super smart," said Miller, who centered him. "You can tell he's got a lot of sense. I didn't see him in camp at all – he was in the other group. So I was talking with him all day today. He's really nice. I'm really glad that he played a good game today."

Because the Canucks have been doing their best work on the road this year, it feels a bit surprising to see that Tuesday's win moves them to 8-3-3 for the year and a .679 points percentage that's tops in the Pacific Division. Through 14 games, they're just two points behind last year's pace.

The homestand continues with a busy 3-in-4 set while the city of Vancouver plays host to the 2024 Grey Cup.

The Canucks will host Bo Horvat and the New York Islanders on Thursday, Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday and Steven Stamkos and the Nashville Predators on Sunday.

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