Captain Quinn Hughes praises $92,800,000 Vancouver Canucks forward after his 1st multi-point game in 80 days

Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes had high praise for forward Elias Pettersson after a 4-3 shootout win over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.

It appears Pettersson has started to find his groove as the team chases a playoff spot. Pettersson had two points in the game, including a goal and an assist.

The Swede forward has scored in the second consecutive game, and this was his first multi-point game since Dec. 23. Hughes highlighted Pettersson's resilience after facing criticism throughout the season, noting that the team would continue to rely on him.

"I mean, really happy for him. Took a lot of crap this year, and, you know, we obviously need him at this point in time with 17 games left. And he showed up today, you know, brought his A-game, and we’re going to continue to need him to do that," Hughes said post-game.

"But obviously, proud of him. And he’s a competitive guy too, you know—you don’t get to the level that he’s gone to without having that, you know, inner jam and desire. So it’s been a hard little run for him, but he’s a—he’s a great player, and he’s going to be just fine. And you saw it tonight," he added.

Elias Pettersson, currently signed to an eight-year, $92.8 million contract with the Canucks, took his season tally to 39 points through 14 goals and 25 assists in 59 games. It was also the first game for Quinn Hughes after missing four games due to a lower-body injury.

Quinn Hughes' Canucks level points with Flames for wild card spot

On Wednesday, the Calgary Flames hosted the Vancouver Canucks at the Scotiabank Saddledome Arena. Both teams are tied with 71 points for a final wild card spot in the Western Conference.

Pius Suter opened the scoring for the visitors, putting them ahead 13:33 into the first period. With less than three minutes to go, Nazem Kadri made it 1-1 for the Flames before heading into the second period.

Jake DeBrusk doubled the lead for the Canucks, capitalizing on the power play off Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson's assist at the 10:32 mark. Just over three minutes later, Jonathan Huberdeau's short-handed goal tied it 2-2 for the home team. At 16:01, Huberdeau scored his second to put the Flames up 3-2 before the final period.

Elias Pettersson scored 13:15 into the final period and forced overtime. The Canucks came out on top with a 4-3 win in the shootout.