Vancouver Canucks give positive injury updates on defencemen Pettersson and Myers
The Vancouver Canucks have been hit hard by the injury bug this season, but the past 24 hours have delivered some good news on that front.
A hard-fought 4-3 shootout win over the Calgary Flames looked to have cost the Canucks in the health department. Rookie defenceman Elias Pettersson left early after taking a dirty headshot from Connor Zary, and veteran Tyler Myers didn’t play at all.
With the Canucks staring down an intense playoff race and having recently traded blueliner Carson Soucy, injuries to their defence corps were the last thing they needed. Thankfully, it seems as if both players will be ready to go tomorrow night.
“I feel pretty good,” said Myers after practice. “It was one of those things that if it wasn’t a back-to-back, I’d probably be okay to go; I just wasn’t quite ready, feeling good now.”
“It was just one of those things that was tough with the 24-hour [turnaround].”
Myers was a full participant in practice, as was the young Pettersson, who also didn’t miss a beat after being removed from the last game due to concussion protocol. Zary hit him with a cheap shot straight to the head, which resulted in a two-game suspension for the Flames forward.
“He was dealing with the flu before, so they weren’t quite sure if it was concussion or flu,” said Tocchet about the blueliner leaving that game. The head coach then described Pettersson as good to go.
Derek Forbort, who blocked a shot with an open hand last game and seemed to be in pain, was a full participant in practice. He also looks to be ready for the weekend ahead.
The Canucks are fortunate that none of these defencemen seem set to miss time, but the biggest impact return is that of captain Quinn Hughes. The star blueliner played against the Flames for the first time since March 1, recording an assist and playing just shy of 30 minutes.
“I feel healthy right now, feel back to where I want to feel. So now it’s just about performing,” said Hughes after practice.
Hughes’ most recent injury resulted from trying to play through another ailment. That presented a unique challenge for the reigning Norris Trophy winner.
“With the first injury I had, I just tried to come back, and then other things were not as strong because I was overworking different muscles from that previous injury. Haven’t really had an injury like that before where it just felt like a domino effect but we have a great group of trainers.”
While he’s healthy enough to play, it’s clear Hughes is not at 100 per cent, and Tocchet said he’s not sure if the captain will be able to get back to that level this season.
The Canucks play the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday before facing the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday. It’s a huge weekend for their playoff push as they attempt to separate themselves from a quartet of teams eyeing that second Western Conference Wild Card spot.