Ex-Canucks HC Bruce Boudreau offers his analysis on Elias Pettersson's recent struggles 

By Ankit Kumar

Modified May 18, 2024 08:19 GMT

Former Vancouver Canucks head coach and current NHL Network analyst Bruce Boudreau recently shared his insights on Elias Pettersson's challenges in the playoffs. On the "Donnie and Dhali" podcast, Boudreau pointed out Pettersson’s body language, saying that he seems to lack confidence:

"His body language looks like he has lost confidence. This is weighing hard on him, I would like to see him smile again."

Boudreau stressed Pettersson's need to re-engage with the game. One of the key comparisons made by Boudreau was with Ilya Mikheyev, who has struggled to score goals.

"In his defense, what's Mikheyev got, 1 goal in his last 60 games," Boudreau added.

Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet urges players to step up amid Elias Pettersson's struggles

After their 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4, Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet openly critiqued the players.

“There’s times there we have some guys," Tocchet said, "...you know where the puck’s gonna go, you just gotta get there before the other guy, and I think we’re pausing. Some guys are playing pause hockey. And you can’t win if you have five or six passengers.

"I mean it’s the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with some guys I don’t know if they thought it was the playoffs. We can’t play with 12 guys."

Elias Pettersson has just one goal and three assists in 10 playoff games, a huge drop from his regular-season output, where he managed 34 goals and 55 assists.

He is also averaging just 1.5 shots per game in the playoffs, down from 2.5.

This contrasts with players like Brock Boeser and JT Miller, who have met expectations.