To do that, I watched back the majority of his shifts (after having already watched every game this season once). What we need to do is take our base understanding of what makes Pettersson special and then analyze why he’s struggling and how he might be able to solve those shortcomings. That can be fine as a stepping stone to build confidence but it’s frankly useless in helping us diagnose what’s missing at that moment from a top player’s abilities. Most of the time when a top forward is struggling we hear cliches about needing to simplify their game. Forget the underwhelming five points he’s notched, Vancouver’s star centre simply looks like a shell of the player we’re used to being awed by. We’re 10 games into this season, however, and we haven’t come close to seeing that scintillating side of his game. Pettersson’s flow state is a sight to behold and can single-handedly make Canucks games a must-watch.

It’s when you see glimpses of his alpha side kick in and produce magic, kind of like his “anger fuel” goal. It’s a mode where offensive zone pressure and scoring chances become second nature. When he’s at the top of his game, Elias Pettersson enters a flow state.

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