The Vancouver Canucks have predictably struggled to score without rookie Elias Pettersson, having lost three games in a row and being shut out twice.
Vancouver wasn’t able to score when Pettersson left the Jan. 3 game against the Montreal Canadiens, when fellow rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi got tangled up with Pettersson and took him down to the ice. Two nights later, the Canucks were embarrassed 5-0 by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On Thursday, the Canucks dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Arizona Coyotes. Once again, Pettersson’s absence has been evident, and the Canucks simply can’t get a whole lot done without him.