Canucks’ Pettersson leaves game vs. Sharks early

For a second, it seemed as if the venerable Elias Pettersson had made a comeback in Vancouver’s 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Monday night. He started his scoring night with a rebound and 44 seconds later fired a quick shot past Yaroslav Askarov in a 5-on-3 system. The most notable part of his night, however, may be the fact that he left the bench at the start of the third period and did not return to the bench for the remainder of the game.

Pettersson’s final shift ended 3:14 into the third period, leaving the team without him for around 17 minutes. After the game he was announced as one of the three stars of the evening, but did not come out again.

Latest from THN’s Vancouver Canucks website:

Canucks 2025 World Junior Championship Prospects – Update: December 23

The Weekly Review: Vancouver Canucks recaps from December 16-22

Canucks World Juniors Throwback 5: Canada

After the game, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet noted that although Pettersson was “sick” at some point in the second half, he did not believe it was anything serious. While he continued on for another shift, he eventually left the game out of caution. Pettersson currently has 10 goals and 18 assists in 34 games played this season.

Towards the end of last season, Pettersson struggled with tendonitis in his knee, which noticeably affected his play. He has since adjusted to the injury and focused on dealing with it in the offseason.

Vancouver plays its next game on Saturday night against the Seattle Kraken. It is currently unknown whether Pettersson will play or not.