The Vancouver Canucks have a laundry list of growing injury issues to worry about. They played most of the third period in their 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks without Elias Pettersson. The Swedish forward went out for one shift at the start of the final frame before going down the tunnel, where he stayed for the rest of the game.

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson left the bench in the third period and did not return against the San Jose Sharks. Canucks Head Coach Rick Tocchet

Monday's win was massive as Pettersson broke his six-game goalless and pointless streak. He scored twice in 44 seconds during the second period, with his second goal looking like a vintage Pettersson snipe. With four shots total, he looked like the Pettersson of old, which is massive for Vancouver moving forward.

William Eklund put the Sharks ahead 1-0 during a 5-on-3 power play at 11:36 of the first period with a one-timer from the right face-off dot past Demko’s blocker. Eklund, who took a big hit from defenseman Tyler Myers before scoring, finished the first period but did not return.

They didn’t just need it to build some extra cushion in the standings but to turn the vibes around heading into the holiday break. You wouldn’t call the Canucks’ performance commanding by any means, but they took care of business with a 4-3 victory over the Sharks.

The Sharks allowed even-strength goals to Kiefer Sherwood and Elias Pettersson just 26 seconds apart as the Canucks broke a tie and took a 3-1 lead at the 17:08 mark of the second period. The Sharks unsuccessfully challenged Pettersson’s goal for goalie interference and were soon down two men after defenseman Mario Ferraro was called for hooking at the 17:20 mark.

The Vancouver Canucks welcomed the San Jose Sharks to Rogers Arena on Monday for both teams’ final test before the holiday break. Mired in three and four-game losing streaks respectively, it was a battle of struggling squads hoping to launch into Christmas on a positive note.