Vancouver Canucks’ Elias Pettersson to Play in Game 1; Arturs Silovs to Start

Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet has confirmed that forward Elias Pettersson will be part of the lineup on Wednesday as the team kicks off their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers.

Tocchet clarified that Pettersson was absent from Tuesday’s practice due to illness and not an injury.

Nashville Predators, Pettersson recorded three assists but did not score. In the regular season, he tallied 34 goals and 55 assists, accumulating a total of 89 points in 82 games.

Furthermore, Arturs Silovs will take the starting goalie position for Vancouver in Game 1 after showcasing strong performances in two out of three previous games. Despite playing only four regular-season games, Silovs holds a 2.47 goals-against average and .881 save percentage in the playoffs. The 23-year-old Latvian stepped in for Casey DeSmith, who got injured in Game 3 against Nashville. He replaced Thatcher Demko, a Vezina Trophy finalist, who has been out of play since April 21 due to a knee injury with an uncertain return date. 

The Canucks will be hosting Games 1 and 2 against the Oilers before the series shifts to Edmonton for Game 3 on Sunday.