After the J.T. Miller trade, one of the talking points surrounding the Vancouver Canucks revolved around faceoff. Subtracting Miller from the lineup left a big hole in this area as he was arguably the team's best faceoff taker. 11 games after the trade, the faceoff concerns are starting to disappear as canter Elias Pettersson has stepped up in a big way.
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Before diving into win percentage, the first difference to note is that Pettersson has averaged more faceoffs per game since the trade. In his first 45 games, he took 650 faceoffs, which averages out to 14.4 per game. As for his last 11, Pettersson has taken 189 total faceoffs or 17.2 per game.
As for win percentage, there has also been a distract difference over those two stretches. In the first 45 games, Pettersson won 44.8% of his draws, compared to 54.5% in the past 11. Below is a table detailing Pettersson's win percentage in each zone and on special teams before and after February 1.
As the table shows, Pettersson has improved in every category over his last 11 games. Even his best category, which was power play, has seen a slight increase when it comes to win percentage. Overall, the month of February and the start of March have been a positive step forward when it comes to Pettersson and faceoffs.
While the overall numbers look positive, it is also important to note that Pettersson's floor has risen when it comes to faceoff win percentage. In his last 11 games, he has posted a win percentage under 45% three times and hasn't dropped below 40% in a game. As for his first 45 games, he had a win percentage under 45% in 22 games and was under 40% a total of 14 times.
If the Canucks are going to be a successful team, not just this season but in the future, they need Pettersson to step up in the faceoff dot continually. Over the past 11 games, he has shown that he can handle the pressure of being the main faceoff taker, as it was on full display on March 5 when he went 20 for 25 in the dot against the Anaheim Ducks. In the end, if Pettersson can keep his win percentage close to or above 50% on a game-by-game basis, it will add another dimension to his ever-evolving game.
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