"Petterson just a ghost": Fans question Elias Pettersson's performance in Vancouver Canucks' 2-1 loss to Washington Capitals 

Elias Pettersson copped criticism following the team's 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. Despite logging 20:59 minutes of ice time, Pettersson managed only three shots on goal.

His subpart performance comes amid a strong season where he's played 68 games, accumulating 31 goals and 48 assists for a total of 79 points.

Fans were quick to express disappointment over Pettersson's struggles against the Capitals. Some reacted negatively to Canucks GM Patrik Allvin's decision to sign Pettersson instead of trading him.

A couple of fans pointed to an icing call changing the momentum of the game.

Tom Wilson and Alex Ovechkin scored within 1:53 in the second period, securing the victory for the Capitals at Rogers Arena on Saturday. Charlie Lindgren's 21 saves bolstered the Capitals, who now have consecutive wins after losing the first two games of a five-game road trip.

Brock Boese­r scored for the Canucks. Quinn Hughes assisted, marking his 77th point this season. Hughes set a new personal best, surpassing his prior Canucks record for most points by a defenseman.

Casey DeSmith's 22 saves wasn't enough to secure a win, marking the Canucks' first regulation loss in six games (4-1-1).

Alex Ovechkin's heroics overshadow Elias Pettersson's subpar performance

Brock Boeser ignited the scoreboard at 1:11 of the first period, deflecting a Quinn Hughes wrist shot past Charlie Lindgren. Hughes orchestrated the play from the right point, eluding Capitals forward T.J. Oshie along the blue line before unleashing the shot from the left face-off dot.

The Capitals responded in the second period, with Tom Wilson leveling the score at 6:01 after a Vancouver icing. John Carlson's shot from the right boards deflected off Wilson's skate to Ivan Miroshnichenko, who deftly fed Wilson for a quick shot that beat Casey DeSmith.

Shortly after, at 7:54, Alex Ovechkin seized the lead for Washington after another icing, making it 2-1. Oshie, celebrating his 1,000th NHL game, kickstarted the play with a precise pass from below the goal line to Alexander Alexeyev in the high slot.

Alexeyev then found Connor McMichael inside the right hashmark who swiftly relayed the puck back to Ovechkin at the far post for a tap-in, marking his 841st career goal and his 127th game-winning goal.

Ovechkin's goal propelled him further in the record books, and he now trails only Jaromir Jagr with 135 game-winning goals. Ovechkin is also sitting at 19 goals this season, one strike shy of achieving 20 in each of his 19 NHL seasons.