Elias Pettersson shared his thoughts after the Vancouver Canucks lost 5-4 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. Vancouver struggled early, falling behind 4-1 after the first period. Despite a late comeback, the Canucks couldn’t recover from their poor start.
In the game, Pettersson scored one goal and one assist, totaling two points. He took two shots, played 17:17, and had a production rate of 8:38 per point, with no game-winning goals.
“Liked the battle back from us, but we can’t come out with an effort like that to start... and expect to win a game,” Pettersson said.
He also pointed out the need to support goalie Arturs Silovs better, adding,
“We've gotta start better and especially start on time, we didn't give Arty (Arturs Silovs) any help out there.”
Elias Pettersson, who signed an eight-year, $92.8 million contract with the Canucks, has been a key player. His deal includes a $47 million signing bonus and an average annual salary of $11.6 million.
The Canucks have been strong on the road, including a shutout win against the Bruins the night before. However, defensive issues in the first period allowed the Penguins to score four goals on ten shots. Goals from Quinn Hughes, Aatu Raty, and Pius Suter narrowed the deficit, and Elias Pettersson’s late goal brought them within one. Despite their effort, the Canucks couldn’t complete the comeback.
The Canucks entered the game with momentum after eight straight road wins. However, early struggles against Pittsburgh showed the need for consistency.
Elias Pettersson and Canucks lost to Penguins despite third period surge
The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Vancouver Canucks at PPG Paints Arena, ending their three-game losing streak.
Blake Lizotte opened the scoring at 3:59 of the first period. He collected a rebound and scored with a backhand. Aatu Raty tied the game 1-1 at 8:52, shooting over Tristan Jarry’s glove after his first shot was blocked. Rickard Rakell gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead at 12:53. Kevin Hayes made it 3-1 on the power play at 15:14. Rust scored at 17:41, taking a pass from Sidney Crosby and firing a wrist shot to make it 4-1.
Rust added his second goal at 3:40 of the second period, shooting from above the circle to increase the lead to 5-1. Vancouver answered at 13:40 when Pius Suter scored with a slap shot through traffic.
Quinn Hughes cut the lead to 5-3 early in the third period. Elias Pettersson made it 5-4 scoring on a loose puck near the crease. But, Pittsburgh held on for the win. Tristan Jarry made 23 saves, and Arturs Silovs stopped 18 shots for Vancouver.