What Pettersson & Hughes Can Do To Get Canucks Out Of Slump & Into Hart Trophy Race
Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes are the key players for the Vancouver Canucks to end their three-game skid as well as get themselves back into the race for the Hart Trophy.
Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports - What Pettersson & Hughes Can Do To Get Canucks Out Of Slump & Into Hart Trophy RaceElias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes are the key players for the Vancouver Canucks to end their three-game skid as well as get themselves back into the race for the Hart Trophy.
According to BetMGM odds, Hughes sits at +4000 to win the Hart, and Pettersson is at +5000. While it will be a long shot, the push to the postseason could do a lot for them.
Although Hughes still scores at a good clip, his defensive numbers have dipped slightly. Against the Minnesota Wild, he finished -2 and was a -1 against the Colorado Avalanche last night.
He is still the favorite to win the Norris Trophy, but if he can get back to the elite two-way game he's played most of the season, he will firmly entrench himself in the MVP race. His impact on the ice is arguably the most important for the Canucks.
Hughes has gone 11 games without scoring a goal. The last time he scored was on January 22nd against the Chicago Blackhawks. After leading the Canucks in shots early in the season, he has slipped back to third with 133 shots.
As a defenseman, he doesn't need to be a focal shooting point, but if he shot the puck a little more, it could create different offensive opportunities for the other players on the ice.
As for Elias Pettersson, he could quickly shoot up the MVP odds boards if he gets red hot. Brock Boeser has just one goal in his last night games. Pettersson is just one better with two. While the goalscoring for the season hasn't been an issue, Boeser has cooled off.
Pettersson can shoot the puck with precise accuracy, and if he finds a way to put more goals in the back of the net, the Canucks will be better off.
During this three-game slide, Vancouver has been reliant on depth scoring. While that is a welcome sight, to go far in the playoffs, the Canucks will need their stars to play like them.
Pettersson and Hughes are the two best play-drivers on the team. If they want to end this slide, they need to start driving play again, and in that process, they would firmly place themselves back in the running for the Hart Trophy.
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