Pettersson continues to skate and appears close to returning to the Canucks lineup, but will not be available on Wednesday. With Pettersson still sidelined, Adam Gaudette will continue to centre the second line.
Pettersson has missed the last four games with a concussion that he suffered in Florida 10 days ago. Canucks head coach Travis Green said that Pettersson could play on the trip, which starts Wednesday in Vegas and wraps up the following night in Arizona. Pettersson had a sensational start to the season, scoring five goals with three assists (eight points) in his first five games.
Pettersson was forced to leave Saturday’s game in Florida after a controversial collision with Panthers’ defenseman Mike Matheson. Pettersson will remain with the team on their current road-trip—which goes through Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Winnipeg on Thursday—but will not see any game action for at least one week. Pettersson could be out longer, depending on how long he experiences concussion symptoms.
Pettersson is a lanky forward but possess an abundance of speed. While playing against men in Sweden’s second division, Pettersson recorded 19 goals and 21 assists (40 points) in 43 games.
