Petan Double-Whammy – Vancouver Canucks Shift Diary

What the heck, since we just posted a story about him, let’s go with a Nic Petan shift diary Saturday night as the Vancouver Canucks host the Edmonton Oilers. It’s a pivotal evening for the Canucks winger and part time pivot. Linemates are JT Miller and Vasily Podkolzin. Petan and other depth players are benefitting from the continued absence of Brandon Sutter and Tyler Motte and the potential game one absence of Brock Boeser.

1:00 mark. Minor penalty to each team. Four on four.

1:00-1:51 Regroup for Canucks off face off in neutral zone, slow to develop, Tyler Myers ends up on a solo rush and backhands it wide from the slot. Edmonton up ice, lose it at Canucks line. Petan poke-checked at his own line but team gathers. Up ice, he works it through the neutral zone and is met at Oilers blueline where he wins puck battle in open ice to left wing boards. He fires it wide and heads to bench.

3:34-4:14 O-zone LW circle draw. He lines up on right. Shot from point on from Tucker Poolman, rebound battle, Petan not involved. Ends up with puck on RW boards, hands off to point, stumbles into linemate Miller in high slot. Eventually gets chance in slot and fires a wrister wide of the far post, stick side of Mikko Koskinen.

6:20-7:06 Same scenario, out for LW O-zone draw, lined up to right of Miller. Oilers clear off draw, Canucks right back in. Petan watches mutli-player puck battle in the RW corner before puck comes free and he gets scoring chance in tight along right post. As he’s banging at it, Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard bear hugs Petan and throws him down. On delayed call Canucks get a scoring chance low, and whistle blows on Koskinen kick-save and a touch-up.

Evan Bouchard (EDM) – Holding – 7:06

8:30-9:23 Out with second unit. Starts with Canucks re-group, Petan up LW boards with it, dump in, Oilers clear. Same again, up ice, nothing happening, possession lost, Oilers dump it. Change.

11:14-12:08 Good shift. Line rush handled by Miller, weaves in, creates chance in front. At one point, Petan tries to stuff one, rebound comes free to Miller who is snuffed by Koskinen. Puck lose to corner. A bit more pressure before Oilers clear. Linemates change, Petan stays out for D-zone sequence, he ends up with the puck and clears it off the LW glass.

14:28-15:20 Ties up coming off bench with Jesse Puljujarvi in neutral zone puck battle. In D-zone for an extended period as Oilers try to cycle. No scoring chances and Canucks start rush. Icing call.  D-zone draw in LW circle, Petan in slot. Oilers control draw and put on pressure. end of the secquence, Petan hustles over and blocks a right point shot by Cody Ceci. The puck bounces off Petan’s skate and over the glass. On the play, JT Miller called for interference.

JT Miller (VAN) – Interference – 15:20

Evan Bouchard – PP Goal – 16:20 – One timer from the point.  Edmonton Oilers 1, Vancouver Canucks 0 (Petan not on the ice)

Brendan Perlini – Even Strength Goal – 17:09 – Rips it home off feed from down low on 2-on-1 by Colton Sceviour after Luke Schenn’s errant pass to the LW boards is picked up on the fly by Kris Russell. Bad line change after the pass created the odd man opportunity in the O-zone for Edmonton. Edmonton Oilers 2, Vancouver Canucks 0. (Petan not on the ice)

17:56-18:30 Some offensive zone time, decent puck movement but no shots. Petan working right wing boards. Stickhandles, works it to right point. Sent low, broken up, Oilers clear.

End of 1st period. Petan:  4:56 time on ice, :38 seconds on power play, 2 shots on goal, 2 shots wide, 1 blocked shot.

1:25-2:07 On for the tail end of an anemic power play. Trailer up ice as Canucks chip in. To bench on full change after Oilers kill penalty.

3:07-4:12 Off bench as Oilers back in own end for break-out. Cruising the LW boards up and down ice, not involved in play. Oilers gain zone a second time with mild pressure. Along left post in D-zone, Petan skates with puck, fails to clear off tie-up, continues to battle near the corner, chops puck free for Vancouver Canucks possession and both teams make changes.

Kris Russell (EDM) – Interference – 6:03

Kailer Yamamoto – Shorthanded Goal – 6:26 – A stumbling, bumbling Quinn Hughes coughs up the puck just inside the Edmonton blueline and two Oilers are off to the races. Derek Ryan headmans to Yamamoto who finishes. Edmonton Oilers 3, Vancouver Canucks 0. (Petan not on the ice)

6:26 – 7:16 On after Canucks gave up shorthanded goal. Good possession time, Petan gets a shot off from LW circle. Appeared to going 5-hole, saved by Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner. Rebound cleared. Next rush broken up, Oilers clear, Petan and others to bench.

9:05-9:47 Off bench to receive a pass in centre ice circle, he carries across blueline but delivers errant head-man pass to no one that looked like a miscommunication. Puck ends up rimming behind the net. Oilers clear. Canucks in own end regain possession. Subsequent rush fails as Edmonton takes possession again in own end. Petan shakes his head and shows frustration as he takes a seat.

11:25-11:50 LW circle, O-zone draw, lined up to right of Miller. Canucks win puck and cycle, worked high to Petan at mid point. Dishes it off, one shot in sequence, Oilers clear. Play ends with Miller called for a minor.

JT Miller (VAN) – HIgh sticking – 11:50

13:00-13:32 Petan on the PK. Successful as Oilers make errant pass back into their own end. Petan gives chase and then peels off to bench.

17:00-17:40 Defensive zone sequence. Helps clear. Up ice on ensuing rush, Petan cuts across the blueline and trips and falls trying to receive a pass. He slides into RW circle while the puck goes the other way. Not a pretty shift.

End of 2nd period. Petan:  10:06 time on ice, 1:53 on power play, :31 seconds on the penalty kill, 3 shots on goal, 2 shots wide, 1 blocked shot, 1 giveaway, 1-for-1 on faceoffs.

Teams four on four to start the third period.

3:14-4:05 Three man forecheck by the Canucks, Oilers break-out, Canucks backpedal. Take possession at blueline and head up ice. After teams exchange puck through neutral zone traffic, Vancouver gains zone, works it low. No Grade-A chances until a turnover leads to Petan getting a once-timer chance from the high left slot that he seemed to heel. Kick save by Skinner.

6:31-7:56 In D-zone. Defensive posture, fans on chance in high slot to control puck and clear. More Oilers pressure. Finally play up ice, puck chipped deep. End boards battle, squirts loose. Edmonton back to Vancouver zone. Petan battling to help clear along the boards glove side of Demko. Finally able to clear and dump and change. Gassed.

11:05-11:52 Off the bench to reach far boards to pitchfork puck deep into the Oilers zone. Puck battles. Petan loses it along LW half-wall. Backchecks hard. Not involved. After breaking up play in D-zone, cleared ahead to Petan who knuckles it up and out of the zone for a change.

Phil Di Giuseppe – Even Strength Goal – 6:26 – Sustained pressure, great chance in slot for Pettersson shot wide. Possession maintained, nice deflection by PDG off slap-pass by Matthew Highmore. (Petan not on the ice)

13:44-14:35 More pressure for Canucks with some momentum off the goal and the centre ice draw. Petan involved along the RW boards in a tough puck battle. Chases it deep, ends up in another battle near blueline on right wing side. Backchecks and ends up coming off as Canucks dump it deep. This would be his final shift.

16:18 Canucks pull goalie for O-zone LW circle draw.

JT Miller – 6-on-5 Goal – 17:42 Beautiful tip-in from the bottom of the left wing circle on a slap pass from Quinn Hughes. Edmonton Oilers 3, Vancouver Canucks 2. (Petan not on the ice)

18:30 Canucks up ice, pull goalie again.

Evan Bouchard (EDM) – Hooking – 18:48

Canucks do everything but score, lose 3-2.

End of game. Petan: 17 shifts, 14:16 time on ice, 1:53 on power play, :31 seconds on the penalty kill, 4 shots on goal, 2 shots wide, 1 blocked shot, 1 giveaway, 1-for-1 on faceoffs

Petan decrescendoed as the evening went along. His better shifts came early. The Canucks will be making final roster decision over the next 36-hours.