Horvat and Pettersson both on a tear in their last 82 games with Canucks
Welcome to the prime years of Bo Horvat and Elias Pettersson.
While there might be a three-year gap in age between the two Vancouver Canucks forwards, it’s evident that we’re seeing the height of their powers right now.
Horvat has 12 goals in 13 games, trailing only Connor McDavid in the NHL scoring race. He’s on pace for 75 goals this season, albeit with a short sample size. Pettersson not only leads the Canucks in scoring with 17 points, he’s cracked the top 10 in NHL scoring.
On Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators, both players managed to pad their impressive point totals yet again — Pettersson with two points, and Horvat with two goals.
Horvat is the first player in Canucks history to have five multi-goal efforts in the first 13 games of a season.
BOWIE āļø pic.twitter.com/6J1VVkOxaE
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 9, 2022
Horvat’s elite production is surprising
This isn’t what we were supposed to see from Horvat.
Throughout his career, the longest-tenured Canuck has been a model of consistency.
Since the 2018-19 season, Horvat has been reliable for about 25-30 goals and 55-60 points.
In fact, in the four seasons prior to this year, Horvat averaged 29 goals and 60 points per season. He had a career-high 31 goals in 2021-22, but his career-high for points came back in 2018-19, when he had 61.
The pace he’s been on over the last 82 games is well beyond those norms.
Over Horvat’s last 82 games, he has scored 43 goals and registered 67 points.
If we shrink that sample size to Horvat’s time playing under Bruce Boudreau, those numbers look even more impressive.
The 27-year-old has scored 36 goals in 58 games since Boudreau took over, which is right on a 50-goal pace.
“I’m just trying to chip in any way I can, whether it’s scoring goals, killing penalties or winning faceoffs,” Horvat told Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy after the game.
“Right now, it’s going in for me.”
Pettersson has arrived for Canucks
Horvat isn’t the only member of the Canucks who’s looked dynamite for an extended period of time.
One of the biggest and most troubling storylines for this team at the beginning of last season was the disappearance of Pettersson.
On most nights, he didn’t look like himself.
However, the soon-to-be 24-year-old turned a corner last season under Boudreau, and has back impressive numbers over his last 82 games to back that up.
Most career goals before a player's 24th birthday – @Canucks franchise history (1970-71 to present):
180- Trevor Linden
172- Tony Tanti
164- Pavel Bure
108- Dennis Ververgaert
103- Elias Pettersson (Via his empty net tally in Tuesday's 6-4 win vs OTT)
102- Don Lever
98- Bo Horvat pic.twitter.com/wZ3uHwZi49— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) November 9, 2022
During Pettersson’s last 82 games dating back to last season, the centre has 37 goals and 80 points.
It was well-documented that Pettersson completely turned his season around last year in the second half. He posted 26 goals and 51 points during his final 43 games in 2021-22. That was good for a 50-goal, 97-point pace.
He’s kept that pace of production up early this year. His six goals and 17 points in 13 games prorated over a full 82 games equate to 37 goals and 107 points.
96-40-65 line š pic.twitter.com/H7zkgy3gMq
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 4, 2022
Fans would probably be happy if Pettersson hit the point-per-game mark. Hitting 100 points would go beyond reasonable expectations.
Although J.T. Miller came close last season, no Canuck player has surpassed the 100-point mark since Daniel Sedin won the Art Ross Trophy with 104 points back in 2010-11.
Can Pettersson, Horvat make the Canucks good again?
Well, they’re certainly trying.
You can’t ask for much more from Horvat and Pettersson, who have been the best two skaters on the team this season.
While Miller’s glaring giveaways and defensive struggles have taken the spotlight, he does have 13 points in 13 games.
That would give him 98 points in his last 82 games, although that’s less of a shock considering how consistent he was through most of last season.
Based on their offensive strength down the middle, you can see why the Canucks, on paper, should be a playoff team.
In Horvat, Pettersson, and Miller, the Canucks have three pivots who could all conceivably hit the point-per-game mark by the end of this season.
Even if one of them doesn’t, defenceman Quinn Hughes is also a threat to hit that threshold. He currently has 11 assists in nine games this season.
For context, the Canucks haven’t had three players hit the 80-point threshold in a season since Stan Smyl, Thomas Gradin, and Darcy Rota all did so back in 1982-83.
The issue for this team, clearly, is that they still can’t defend, and giving up 40+ shots to a Senators team with the third-fewest points in the NHL does nothing to quell that notion.
However, if Horvat and Pettersson continue to keep up their torrid pace, they’ll be doing their part in trying to bring the Canucks back to relevancy.