Pettersson is in the first year of his eight-year, $92.8 million contract, one he signed with the franchise as recently as last March, and has faced criticism for inconsistent play of late including some internal drama involving fellow forward J.T. Miller.

Pettersson responded by breaking the game wide-open for the Canucks late in the second period. Kiefer Sherwood ’s 2-1 goal was a key turning point because the club had only mustered 13 shots entering the final TV timeout of the second period, but it was Pettersson who made sure to put the game out of reach.

Rick Tocchet’s update on Sunday wasn’t exactly what Vancouver Canucks fans hoped to hear. The Canucks’ head coach shared that forward Elias Pettersson