With Sutter out, Horvat now centre of attention

GAME DAY: CHICAGO AT VANCOUVER, 7 P.M.

Amid the euphoria that is the electric Elias Pettersson, comes the stark reality for Bo Horvat.

As the top centres for the Vancouver Canucks — the slick Swedish rookie has seven goals in seven games while the future captain has the same amount in 13 outings — the loss of Brandon Sutter on Monday to a right shoulder separation will have a trickle-down effect.

For the poised Pettersson, it may mean more minutes to spin magic with and without the puck because of a remarkable and relentless three-zone awareness. For the workhorse Horvat, it will mean more own-zone diligence and critical defensive-zone face-offs.

Horvat took 36 draws in Monday’s 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild, a season-high total that ramped up when Sutter was injured early in the second period during a penalty kill. The veteran pivot tried to engage blue-liner Matt Dumba, slammed hard into the sideboards and is now out four to six weeks. Couple that with Jay Beagle recovering from a forearm fracture, and the centres who were supposed to ease Horvat’s defensive load have instead added to it.

“For both of them to go down, it gives me more defensive responsibilities and taking big face-offs,” said Horvat, who won 56 per cent against the Wild. “I have to commit and not cheat all over the ice. Losing Sutter halfway through the game, you’ve got to take a step back, but play smart.”

Without Alex Edler (knee sprain) and Chris Tanev (hip bruise), puck possession and transition out of the defensive zone tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks will be of paramount importance.

“It’s unreal,” Horvat said of injuries that include Sven Baertschi (concussion) and Anders Nilsson (finger fracture). “It seems to happen to us every year. You become all-round players because you have to fill that void.”

The value of Brandon Sutter, now sidelined four to six weeks with a shoulder separation, has been in a shutdown capacity and prime penalty killer for the NHL’s ninth-ranked unit.

Horvat made his NHL way by learning the defensive game. His face-off efficiency has not only been steady and improved over the years — 51.4, 50.0, 50.5, 53.8 and a team-best 55.6 this season — he will now face tougher draw matchups with Sutter sidelined. That could overshadow some of the success Horvat has enjoyed with dominant 67, 68 and 79 per cent efficiency outings.

To his credit, Sutter’s value has been in a shutdown capacity and prime penalty killer for the league’s ninth-ranked unit. Horvat had been freed up from extra work because the penalty-kill pairings of Sutter with Tyler Motte and Markus Granlund with Tim Schaller — and Beagle before he was injured blocking a shot — have been exceptional, with nine perfect games.

Horvat did log 2:28 of penaltykill time Monday and played a season-high 22:09 overall. Granlund could move back to the middle today, but he’s not great in the circle, at 40.4 per cent.

Rookie Adam Gaudette won but two of eight draws Monday and was learning on the fly in a season high 12:15 of ice time — he found himself up against Eric Staal and Mikko Koivu once Sutter was sidelined.

“I’ve been holding my own out there,” said Gaudette. “I’m playing a strong and physical game and making plays and keeping the puck on my stick a lot more often.”

Whether it’s Gaudette or Horvat, the biggest adjustment to losing another veteran forward is to appreciate how hard a prized rookie is playing. Pettersson’s two-goal effort made the highlight reels, and the second effort, in which he blocked a point shot and sped away on a breakaway, had jaws dropping on the bench.

“It’s awesome to see, especially at such a young age,” marvelled the 23-year-old Horvat. “When you’re only 19 and doing that stuff already, there’s just more to come. People might think he’d be a little more timid after the hit [concussion], and he doesn’t show that at all. The way he has come back and played is pretty impressive.”

LOOSE PUCKS: With Sutter’s absence, the Canucks on Tuesday re-called Darren Archibald and Brendan Gaunce from the AHL’s Utica Comets.