NASHVILLE -- Elias Pettersson is choosing to look at the possibilities with the Vancouver Canucks against the Nashville Predators in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round at Bridgestone Arena on Friday (7 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, BSSO, SN, TVAS, CBC), not how he's struggled to produce during the first five games of the best-of-7 series.
"I don't think I started that well," the forward said Thursday. "I wanted to do too much, but, you know, live and learn. That's in the past. I'm looking forward."
The Canucks will need Pettersson at a level similar to his regular-season production if they want to eliminate the Predators from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Game 7, if necessary, will be in Vancouver on Sunday.
"I know what I need to do," Pettersson said. "The game is so fast out there and they're doing a good job. They're a tough team to play against."
Pettersson had 89 points (34 goals, 55 assists) and was plus-20 in 82 regular-season games but has two assists and is minus-3 in series. He was a combined minus-4 with two shots on goal when Vancouver split Games 1 and 2 at Rogers Arena, the first playoff games he played in front of fans. His prior experience came in 2020, when games were played in an empty Rogers Place in Edmonton because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"You build off the fans' energy," he said. "Someone lays a hit, even if you play away or at home, the fans are into it. The fans really do play a factor.
"I think probably I was a bit too emotionally fired up and I wanted to do too much the first two games. The atmosphere at Rogers was amazing. I got away from my game and wanted to do too much instead of just playing the game.
"Live and learn. It's in the past, can only move forward."
Canucks coach Rick Tocchet was encouraged after talking to Pettersson before practice Thursday and then watching him on the ice.
"The best thing I heard today, we did a video today and he came up to me and said, '"Tocc,"' I've got to move my feet,'" Tocchet said. "I told him I don't care what you say after that. Just do that. He knows how to play the game. He knows how to play defense. He knows our system.
"That was music to my ears. He said it, I didn't have to tell him."
Pettersson's teammates were also excited by what they saw.
"He's going to be good," said defenseman Quinn Hughes, the Canucks captain. "He had a great practice today. He's going to score at a big opportunity, big time, and I'm looking forward to that."
Pettersson contributing will go a long way toward the Canucks creating consistent offense. They have four goals at 5-on-5 in the past four games and are averaging 18.4 shots on goal per game in the series.
Tocchet said there was more the players around Pettersson could do to help him get the puck in better positions to produce, but it's Pettersson who has to get himself going.
"If you don't move your feet, doesn't matter if you're playing with Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux," Tocchet said. "You've got to move your feet."
Pettersson understands. He's focused on making that happen in Game 6.
"I've been trying to be the best player I can be every game and it hasn't gone my way," he said. "They always have a guy on me on the power play. They always play me hard. They play hard against everyone but obviously I'm going to have less time. But it's always up to me, doesn't matter what they do, I've still got to come up with a way."
