Elias Pettersson will be a game-time decision for the Vancouver Canucks ahead of their Thursday night showdown with the Seattle Kraken, head coach Bruce Boudreau says.
The Canucks superstar has not played since December 14th due to a lingering virus that has made its way around the team.
Vancouver has gone 0-2 in Pettersson’s absence, losing 5-1 in back-to-back games to the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues respectively.
“I’m glad to see that he’s finally gotten healthy,” the Canucks bench boss told reporters Thursday. “Anytime he can join the group it makes us better.”
Boudreau cautioned that fatigue could still be a factor in determining Pettersson’s status, noting that the forward had been battling illness for roughly a week.
“To me, it’s more [about] stamina, that you’ve been lying in bed not doing a lot for the last little bit, so we’ll see how he feels tonight after skating,” he added.
Should Pettersson ultimately be unavailable, Boudreau added that he would expect the 24-year-old to draw in on Friday against the Oilers in Edmonton.
On the season, Pettersson’s 13 goals and 21 assists give him the team lead in points with 34 through 29 games. Pettersson is also averaging a career-high 19:51 TOI per game.
Boudreau also confirmed that Spencer Martin would get the nod between the pipes for Vancouver. The 27-year-old is 9-5-1 with a 0.885 save percentage and a 3.59 GAA.
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