Elias Pettersson skated with Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk, and was more frequently self-matched with Quinn Hughes against the top end of the Toronto lineup. Frankly, Pettersson’s deployment patterns on Saturday more closely matched how the Canucks have utilized J.T. Miller for much of this season.

The Vancouver Canucks find themselves in a rough position, having gone 1-5-1 in their last seven games. Their most recent setback was their 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night at Rogers Arena in downtown Vancouver.

Canucks captain Quinn Hughes had a sobering take on the struggles of his teammates after their 5-1 loss to the Kings.

In and out of Vancouver, the consensus seems to be this can’t continue: great wins, terrible losses and The Miller vs. Pettersson rumours. It’s halfway though the season and no one is quite sure who these Vancouver Canucks are or who will be on the team after the trade deadline.

The Canucks are getting Filip Hronek back from injury soon as he skated ahead of their Tuesday game against the Jets.

Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet praised Elias Pettersson after their 3-0 win against the Maple Leafs. Pettersson had an assist on Brock Boeser’s early goal and blocked five shots.

“Selke, Selke,” they shouted explained Hughes per The Athletic’s Thomas Drance. They were of course referencing the Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s best defensive forward. Pettersson has received votes in each of the past two seasons with a career-best finish of seventh in the 2022-23 campaign.

While Hughes and Pettersson stepped into the spotlight, the penalty killers in the shadows deserve a lot of credit for the win. The Leafs had three power plays; the Canucks only allowed two shots on goal. Derek Forbort led the way with 3:58 on the penalty kill, while Sherwood was the top forward with 2:48.

Petey, as his teammates call him, has been called everything from “petty” by fans to “soft” by reporters. To his biggest critics, he’s the main reason there is a reported rift with Miller and why the Canucks, who led the Pacific Division last season, are suddenly playing for their playoff lives as the second wild-card team this year.

It’s not every day two teams who are both coming off a loss to the same opponent face off against one another, but that’s what happened when the puck dropped for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs tonight.

If there’s one thing that’s consistent about this team, it’s that they’re wildly inconsistent. The Vancouver Canucks managed to shutout the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena, taking a game that was nearly postponed thanks to a snowstorm by a 3-0 scoreline.

The Selke Trophy isn't awarded on Jan. 11. But don't tell that to the Canucks, who campaigned for Elias Pettersson after a shutout win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday, writes Sportsnet's .