"Petey pooed his pants, same as my toddler" "Matthews 2.0": NHL fans react as Elias Pettersson skips team practice due to illness

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson missed team practice today due to illness ahead of Game 1 of their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

NHL insider Jeff Paterson broke the news on X.

"Elias Pettersson (illness) not at #Canucks practice today," Paterson tweeted.

Spittin' Chiclets further confirmed this update.

"No Petey at today’s practice."

This naturally drew attention and reactions from fans across social media platforms.

One fan compared Pettersson to Toronto Maple Leafs' star player Auston Matthews.

"Matthews 2.0"

"Petey pooed his pants, same as my toddler," one fan said.

"Get well Petey. The Canucks have to have u to beat the Oilers," one fan said.

"Getting the heebie jeebies about playing a non-rebuilding team in the playoffs," a fan wrote.

A fan took the speculation to the next level and talked about conspiracies.

"People going to come with conspiracies, but I Gotta strong feeling Covid is hitting these guys…." another fan added.

One fan raised the question about who will play in Pettersson's absence.

"Yeah this isn’t good who’s replacing him? Does Canuck’s have anyone to step up from the farm?" a fan asked.

Vancouver Canucks' Elias Pettersson could miss game against Edmonton Oilers

Elias Pettersson's participation in Game 1 remains uncertain. Pettersson's playoff performance has been underwhelming, registering three assists and no goals in the first round, continuing a slump from the latter part of the regular season, where he scored just one goal in his last 19 games.

Despite this, he had a strong regular season with 34 goals and 55 assists, marking the second-best point total of his career.

Nils Aman filled in for Pettersson during practice. Illness has affected the team before, with Tyler Myers missing a game in the first round due to flu.