Dahlin of Sabres, Pettersson of Canucks have memorable first NHL meeting
Rookies flash talent, considered future faces of Swedish hockey
"What they've proven so far on the ice is fantastic," Forsberg told NHL.com this weekend. "I think everyone in Sweden is excited that two young talents are so good so early."
Forsberg, like many in the hockey world, was eager to see Dahlin and the Buffalo Sabres host Pettersson and the Vancouver Canucks at KeyBank Arena on Saturday. The two had faced each other in the Swedish Hockey League but this would be their first NHL meeting.
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When it was over, the two future faces of Swedish hockey wore extremely different expressions. And rightly so.
Dahlin, 18, sported a wide grin; Pettersson, 19, a frustrated scowl. Their emotions told the tale of the 4-3 shootout win by the Sabres against the Canucks, who had been leading 3-1 with 2:27 remaining in the third period.
"It's awesome to learn a Swedish legend like [Forsberg] speak about us like that," Dahlin said. "It's my dream to accomplish something special like that. Of course, it makes me glad to hear something like that but I can't stop now. I have a long career ahead of me. I need to keep getting better and better every day.
"[Elias] was really good but that doesn't surprise me. It doesn't surprise me how well he has started the season either. He is very skilled."
Pettersson wasn't nearly as eager to talk about Forsberg's compliment or the hype surrounding the game. Not when the Canucks lost a game they felt they should have won.
"Well, I started the season pretty good and … (sigh), right now, I'm not in the mood to talk about that," Pettersson said.
The rookie forward was asked how his game -- and that of his team -- could improve.
"Win games," he said. "We let two goals in while we are up 3-1. We got to, I don't know, we can't let two goals in when we lead 3-1."
Canucks coach Travis Green was not surprised that Pettersson, who turns 20 on Monday, did not want to talk about himself.
"He's dialed in, this guy," Green said. "That's one of the things I love about him. He wants to win. He wants to win bad.
"I've compared him a bit to when I first started playing with Patrice Bergeron in Boston with the Bruins in his rookie year of (2003-04). Man, he was dialed in right from the get-go. Just like this kid.
"He's off to a great start. I don't know much about [Dahlin] but I thought he was great out there. Both these young Swedes have such promising careers ahead of them."
Pettersson, the No. 5 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, became the first teenager to win the scoring title in the Swedish Hockey League, with 56 points (24 goals, 32 assists) in 44 games with the Växjö Lakers last season. He has 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) in 12 games with the Canucks.
Dahlin, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, is a skilled, puck-moving defenseman. He had two assists against the Canucks and has seven points (one goal, six assists) in 17 games. Both players have caught the attention of Forsberg, 45, the playmaking Swedish center who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.
"In [Dahlin's] case, it's a little harder to come into the League as a defenseman, especially when you're so young," Forsberg said. "You have to grow into it. But both have terrific skills, especially the way they move on the ice. Pettersson sees the ice so well. Rasmus, his skating, he flies up and down the ice without seemingly taking any effort to do it.
"For me, of course, to see a forward like Pettersson doing these things, it's something special. He's small, but he sees the ice well, he shoots the puck well and he's got that little extra that not too many players have, so he's going to be exciting to follow, especially for me since he's a forward."
Pettersson almost produced another of those exciting moments Forsberg was referring to during overtime on Saturday. His nifty shift of the puck in the slot left Sabres goalie Carter Hutton out of position, forcing Buffalo forward Jeff Skinner to trip him before he could slide the puck into the empty net for the winning goal.
"We see it all the time from him in practice," linemate Jake Virtanen said. "It's still pretty insane to see it because it's in the game. I don't think I or anyone else would try it. But he always is trying new things."
Hall of Fame forward Pavel Bure, who played with the Canucks from 1991-98, has been impressed with the start of Pettersson's NHL career. Bure, inducted in 2012, was known for his combination of speed and spectacular moves, traits he sees in the Vancouver rookie.
"I've heard Elias being called a mix of Pavel Datsyuk and Pavel Bure," Bure told NHL.com/ru. "On one hand, Pettersson is very skilled, on the other, really fast. The NHL, too, has become really fast in the last years. But it's very important not to just run rampant around the ice but to synch the speed with the head. If a hockey player can synch, he has a chance to become great.
"When I see a player like this I understand he can do anything on the ice."
