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Instant Reaction: Canucks start hot but fizzle out in 5-2 loss to Wild
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Photo credit: © Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
Tyson Cole
Apr 2, 2026, 22:39 EDT
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Welcome back to Instant Reaction, the series here at CanucksArmy where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Vancouver Canucks game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!

Starting lineup

Three changes to the Canucks lineup after a massive 8-6 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night. Recently called up Ty Mueller slots in for Nils Höglander, pushing Aatu Räty to the wing on a line with Curtis Douglas. PO Joseph comes in for Victor Mancini, while Nikita Tolopilo gets the start in goal.

First period

Matt Boldy continuously reminds me of the time when the Canucks passed on him at 10th overall in 2019. Instead, they selected Vasily Podkolzin, whom they eventually traded to the Edmonton Oilers for a fourth-round pick. Then flipped that pick back to the Oilers for Evander Kane. So, instead of Matt Boldy, Canucks fans get Evander Kane. Sorry for putting that into your thoughts.
Anyway, Boldy made the first exciting play of this game, when he dippy-doodled around Tom Willander to get a backhand shot on net. The Canucks got a decent scoring chance off the stick of Brock Boeser, when Zeev Buium made a heads-up play to find the Minnesota native all alone after a bad Wild change. Jesper Wallstedt made the right pad stop.
The impressive first period for Boldy continued after PO Joseph’s weak clearing attempt. Joel Eriksson Ek knocks the puck out of the air, which is directed to Boldy, who beats Tolopilo five-hole to open the game’s scoring.
1-0 Wild.
Later in the frame, Drew O’Connor took an interference penalty in the offensive zone on his former captain, Hughes. However, a great forechecking shift from Liam Öhgren down a man in the offensive zone pulled the Canucks back to even when he drew a tripping penalty on Joel Eriksson Ek.
On the ensuing four-on-four, Max Sasson enters the Wild zone and drops the puck back to Teddy Blueger. Coming off a two-goal game against the Avalanche, Blueger rips a shot that banks off the backboards and lands on the stick of a speeding Tom Willander, who is able to bury the puck and tie the game at one.
1-1 tie.
Once the O’Connor penalty finished, the Canucks had over one minute of extra power play time. Elias Pettersson sets up Filip Hronek for a bomb from the point that rings off the crossbar. And as is Jake DeBrusk’s scoring touch this season, he bats the puck out of the air to give the Canucks the lead.
2-1 Canucks.
It was a high-event opening period, with 29 total shots on goal between the two teams (Minnesota 15, Vancouver 14).

Second period

It didn’t take the Wild long into the middle frame to tie the game.
After an offensive zone shift, Zeev Buium mishandles the puck at the blueline, allowing Boldy to poke check the puck off of him, and he is sent on a breakaway. In what was his fifth shot of the game, Boldy chips it up and over Tolopilo’s shoulder for his 40th goal of the season.
After the goal, the Wild continued the pressure. And Quinn Hughes makes an appearance in the game, where he gets a nice shot off the rush. But Tolopilo makes the stop.
Another tough look from Joseph, who takes a silly tripping penalty on Kirill Kaprizov at the net front, sending the Wild to the power play. While they did not convert on the man advantage, Kaprizov would bury a nice give-and-go with Mats Zuccarello to retake the lead for the Wild.
3-2 Wild.
We haven’t mentioned Hughes much yet, because, well, he hasn’t done much to this point other than the one chance and drawing a penalty on O’Connor. He would later take a penalty of his own, cross-checking Curtis Douglas into the boards, but the Canucks could not get fully set up enough to generate any scoring chances.
Once the penalty was over, Jacob Middleton sprung Hughes on a breakaway coming out of the penalty box. I guess Kevin Lankinen’s incredible shootout record has rubbed off on Tolopilo, as he comes up with a massive save on Hughes’ five-hole attempt.
The rest of the period was predominantly controlled by the Wild. Boldy nearly secured the hat trick when he stole the puck from Hronek, walked Buium and had an impressive attempt on net despite falling over. Another fun moment was seeing Douglas wheel around from behind the net, square up, and fire a shot so powerful it knocked the stick out of Hughes’ hands.

Third period

Despite the late travel and the playing last night, the Canucks came out pretty well for the third period. While they were only able to land one on net, they had six shot attempts through the first three minutes of the period. However, it was the Wild who struck first in the third.
4-2 Wild.
As the third went on, you could tell that the fatigue of playing the night before had caught up to the Canucks. They lost their legs, and the Wild, who haven’t played since Saturday, had more energy and controlled play. Minnesota outshot Vancouver 6-3 until the five-minute mark of the period.
Elias Pettersson had a nice chance streaming down the left wing that beat Filip Gustavsson, but not the crossbar. Other than that, it wasn’t an inspiring effort from the team, down two goals, trying to claw their way back into the game.
Adam Foote stayed aggressive and pulled the goaltender with over four minutes to go. While the Canucks had some push, they weren’t able to pull the game to within one, and Ryan Hartman flicks the puck into the empty net from his own zone to ice the game.
5-2 Wild Final.
Well, that’s it, folks. With the loss, the Canucks have officially locked up 32nd place in the NHL standings and have guaranteed themselves a top-three selection in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft.
What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below!

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