After he was left off the Swedish Olympic team, Elias Pettersson finally made his official debut with Sweden’s men’s team. Sweden faced Belarus in their opening game of the World Hockey Championships on Friday and beat their opponents soundly in the skirmish.
It wasn’t close: Sweden outclassed Belarus in every aspect of the game, winning 5-0.
Pettersson was the only Canuck in the game, as Anders Nilsson sat on the bench as the backup for Magnus Hellberg, who played in the KHL this past season. Nilsson is likely to get some of the tougher starts in the preliminary round, such as against the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Russia, but Hellberg was superb in this game and has the potential to take the starter’s job.
It was a relatively quiet game for Pettersson overall. He showed flashes of brilliance, particularly in the first period when he undressed Alexander Kitarov along the boards, dragging the puck between the Belarussian’s legs. Unfortunately, he lost an edge as he tried to take advantage of the space that move gave him.
Elias Pettersson continues to showcase his superb puck skills and shiftiness. Listen to the crowd’s reaction after puts the puck through that player’s feet.
— Grady Sas (@GradySas) May 4, 2018
“He’s got that great offensive arrogance.” – @mike_p_johnson. #Canucks #TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/39jIcwCCQR
That seemed to be the story for Pettersson all game: he played well, but things just didn’t quite click.
Pettersson was personally dissatisfied with his game, noting how frequently he fell to the ice and suggesting that he wanted it too much. “It goes a little faster out there,” said Pettersson via Google Translate. “It's faster game and you have to be faster in mind, but I'm prepared.”
On the other hand, his linemate and captain, Mikael Backlund, was quick with the praise for Pettersson, noting how much space he creates for his teammates with his passing. His head coach was even more effusive with his praise.
“Är ett passningsgeni,” said Rikard Grönborg, which basically translates to, “He is a passing genius.”
Pettersson skated on the right wing of Sweden’s second line with Gustav Nyquist on left wing and Backlund at centre. He appeared with the same group on the second power play unit, taking up his usual spot on the right side. He never quite got to unleash his deadly one-timer; his only opportunity came on a pass that was just a little too far in front of him.
Sweden’s first line consists of Mika Zibanejad, Rickard Rakell, and Mattias Janmark. It seems likely that line will stay together, as they each scored a goal and combined for seven points. Pettersson’s line didn’t seem to gel as quickly, with only Nyquist recording a point, but it’s early yet.
Pettersson was on the ice for his line’s lone goal, covering the right point for John Klingberg while the defenceman roved around the offensive zone with the puck. Klingberg set Nyquist up for a one-timer that gave goaltender Ivan Kulbakov no chance to make the save.
Sweden chased Kulbakov from the net midway through the game when Rakell made it 4-0. His replacement, Mikhail Karnaukov, fared better, stopping 18 of 19 shots and making it difficult for Sweden to pad the score.
Pettersson’s lack of strength did stand out in puck battles, but what was more notable was the way he compensated for it. He anticipated physical contact and either avoided it or allowed it while moving the puck to a teammate.
On zone entries, Pettersson seemed to invite contact. He frequently skated into traffic and took a hit as he dropped the puck to a teammate, while simultaneously bouncing off his check to ensure the hit didn’t drop him to the ice. He’ll definitely need more strength, particularly in his legs and core, to battle along the boards in the NHL, but it was clearly evident how he’s survived playing against men in the SHL.
His craftiness without the puck was also great to see. Like Pavel Datsyuk, he wouldn’t hound a player with little hacks and slashes, thereby letting him know he was there, but wait until just the right moment to lift a stick and steal the puck. He nearly set up a goal for Zibanejad late in the third period in this way, sneaking in behind a Belarussian defender in the offensive zone and stealing the puck before making the pass.
Speaking of Zibanejad, he and Pettersson engaged in some friendly competition during a Swedish practice before the start of the tournament. The two took turns drilling the puck into the net with a radar gun set up behind it. Pettersson hit 157 km/h (97.6 mph) and it took Zibanejad several tries (and a new stick) to best it, reaching 159 km/h (98.9mph) with his last attempt.
If Pettersson can reach that speed with his slap shot at 165 lbs, he could break 100 mph as he adds strength over the next few years.
