Elias Pettersson gives his thoughts on Vancouver Canucks attempted comeback after going 3-0 down in loss to Montreal Canadiens 

The Vancouver Canucks fell 4-2 to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night after attempting a late comeback.

The Canadiens built a 3-0 lead through two periods with goals from Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield. The Canucks pushed back in the third, with Filip Hronek and Elias Pettersson scoring to make it 3-2.

But with just 17 seconds left, Mike Matheson buried an empty-netter to secure Montreal’s 4-2 win.

After the game, Pettersson reflected on the Canucks’ late push.

"I think we started solid, but they went up 3-0, and that's a big hill to climb. We gave an effort, and it was close at the end, but it wasn’t enough," Pettersson said.

When asked about the pushback the Canucks had in the third period, he responded:

"Just liked the effort to get back. We were close to tying it,but we can’t put ourselves in that position. It’s hard to win games that way."

Pettersson also received a question about his increased ice time and dominant possession play.

"No, but steps are nice. Just trying to play my game and be the best player I can be every game," he said. "Definitely felt better today, but yeah, it would feel better with a win."

The Canucks got 29 saves from goalie Kevin Lankinen but dropped their second straight game and sixth in their last nine. The Canadiens received a 23-save performance from Sam Montembeault.

HC Rick Tocchet's take on Vancouver Canucks' 4-2 loss to Montreal Canadiens

Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet acknowledged that the Canadiens' top line caused issues for the Canucks defense.

"We didn't have an answer for their top line, there were 3 goals and that's a good line, they make plays, it's tough, we just didn't have an answer," Tocchet said via NHL.com. "First goal, obviously, we're, give the puck away, we're on the wrong spots against those.”

Despite the loss, Tocchet praised his players' effort to battle back into the game, saying:

"Guys tried, I got to give them a lot of credit."

Regarding Elias Pettersson's performance, Tocchet was encouraged by his goal scoring.

"It was a really good shot, hopefully that continues."

The Vancouver Canucks face the Calgary Flames next at Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday.