Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet stated that forwards Nils Hoglander and Elias Pettersson are each day-to-day, per NHL.com reporter Mike Morreale. Tocchet also added that Aatu Raty will likely join the team ahead of their matchup in New Jersey on Monday.
The status of Hoglander and Pettersson for tomorrow’s tilt against the Devils are not known, nor are the exact injuries they sustained. Both were unable to play in the third period of a 5-3 loss at the New York Rangers on Saturday, per an NHL release. Tocchet noted that both were, “pretty sore and banged up, so we’ll see what 24 hours does.” He added that he wasn’t sure if they’d be available against the Devils.
In 66 games, Hoglander has put up 21 points and a plus-6 rating in a bottom-six role. The 24-year-old was Vancouver’s second round choice in the 2019 draft and is coming off of a breakout season where he posted 24 goals and a plus-23 rating. While he hasn’t found that type of offensive success this year, he has established himself as a reliable depth piece for the Canucks moving forward.
Petterson, on the other hand, is clearly a staple to Vancouver’s success. The four-time all-star has posted five seasons with 30-plus goals with the Canucks and has registered 457 points in 471 career games. However, Petterson has struggled this season to the tune of 45 points in 64 games. He has recorded a minus-10 rating and has seen his career-high faceoff percentage of 50.8 last season dip down to 47.5 this year.
Despite Petterson and Hoglander’s dip in offense this season, the Canucks find themselves just three points out of the final wild card spot in the west. The team’s -17 goal differential speaks to their offensive struggles, but a return to health for both players will be key during the stretch run. The Canucks, who have 12 games remaining on the season, are already without center Filip Chytil (upper body).
The Canucks recalled Raty on Sunday in the event Hoglander or Petterson can’t go on Monday. He has appeared in 21 games with Vancouver this season, recording four points. He’s added an impressive 39 points in 41 games in the AHL.