"Not good enough": Elias Pettersson takes the blame for Canucks' timid power play

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson took responsibility for the team’s lackluster power play in a 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

The game featured eight power-play opportunities, with the Penguins capitalizing twice on their five chances. The Canucks, however, failed to generate any offense on their three opportunities.

In his post-game media interview, Elias Pettersson shouldered the blame for the ineffective man-advantage, pointing to his struggles in the faceoff circle.

He said:

"Well, it starts with me. If I win, if I win more draws, we start with the puck. I think that was, I don't even know, one for five. That's not good enough. We keep having to break the puck in instead of starting with the puck in the offensive zone this one. But I mean, we get some good shot opportunities. Yeah, I definitely think it starts with me winning the draw, and start from there."

However, this was not the only game in which the Canucks failed to capitalize on the power play. This has been a glaring issue for the club so far this season, as they are tied with the Maple Leafs for the fewest power-play goals in the league, having scored zero.

The Canucks are second in the Pacific Division with a 4-3-0 record after seven games. They face the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

How Pittsburgh Penguins down Elias Pettersson's Canucks?

On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins secured a thumping 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks at PPG Paints Arena.

Sidney Crosby, who scored a goal in the contest, became the leading points scorer in Penguins history with 1,896 points, surpassing the great Mario Lemieux's mark of 1,895.

Conor Garland was the lone scorer for the Canucks in the matchup, putting them ahead 1-0 at 1:18 of the first period. Elias Pettersson accumulated a point in the matchup. Kevin Lankinen made 21 saves and posted a save percentage of .808.

For the Penguins, Justin Brazeau accumulated three points, and Anthony Mantha notched two points on the night. Netminder Arturs Silovs made 23 saves between the sticks.