Elias Pettersson practices with Canucks for first time since concussion

Oct 23 2018, 2:12 am

Elias Pettersson was back on the ice, skating with his Canucks teammates at practice on Monday.

It was the second time on ice for the 19-year-old rookie sensation since he received a concussion playing against the Florida Panthers. He had a light skate on his own Saturday morning.

“[Pettersson’s] still on the concussion protocol, skating with the team,” head coach Travis Green told reporters after practice. “[He’s] coming along fine.”

Green previously agreed that Pettersson would need to participate in a couple of full practices before suiting up for game action, so don’t expect him in the lineup tonight against the Washington Capitals. Monday’s practice was considered just a morning skate, which is typically less intense than an off-day session.

The Canucks’ coach said there’s a “good chance” that he’ll join the team for their upcoming two-day road trip in Vegas and Arizona, so expect him to play one or both of those games if he stays symptom-free.

The Canucks have fared better than expected in three games without Pettersson, who still leads the team in scoring with eight points in five games. Playing on the road in Pittsburgh and Winnipeg before returning home to face the Bruins, the matchups haven’t been easy.

Vancouver lost to the Jets, but beat the Penguins and Bruins, each in overtime, on goals by Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat.

Despite playing great in Saturday’s win, goaltender Jacob Markstrom will sit in favour of Anders Nilsson against Washington. Expect the rest of the lineup to remain the same, which would mean a seventh-straight healthy scratch for defenceman Michael Del Zotto.

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