The Vancouver Canucks (13-7-3) will try to cap a six game road trip with a fifth victory when they face the league-leading Minnesota Wild (16-4-4) at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul tonight.
The Canucks are coming off back-to-back overtime wins in Buffalo and Detroit after earlier victories on the trip in Boston and Ottawa.
After a full team practice on Monday, the Canucks opted to take this morning off which means it will be closer to game time before tonight’s line-up is confirmed. Kevin Lankinen is expected to get his third straight start in goal and put his 10-0 road record on the line while the Canucks will likely use all 12 forwards they have on the road trip.
The only changes could come on defence where the team rotated partners for captain Quinn Hughes at practice. He could find himself paired with Tyler Myers as he was on Sunday or it’s possible Noah Juulsen could get an opportunity to play with Hughes. The Canucks have Mark Friedman as an extra body with them in Minnesota, but he is not expected to draw into the line-up.
Jake DeBrusk will look to finish this trip in style. He has scored the Canucks first goal of the game in all four of their victories, had a hattrick and an assist on Sunday and has scored seven goals and shares the team lead on the trip with Hughes with nine points apiece. DeBrusk’s overtime winner against the Red Wings meant he is the first Canuck to score 10 goals on the season. Hughes and Elias Pettersson each chipped in with three assists in Sunday’s win. On Monday, Hughes was named NHL Second Star of the Week after recording a goal and eight helpers in four games over the previous seven days.
Pius Suter has scored in three straight games giving him nine goals on the season.
Burnsville, Minnesota native Brock Boeser needs two points for 400 in his Canucks and NHL career. He’ll be the 15th Vancouver skater to reach the milestone. He’ll be looking to collect the needed points in the building in which he scored his first goal in his NHL debut on March 25, 2017. Boeser, who missed seven games with a head injury last month, is looking for his first goal since November 5th in Anaheim.
The X has been a tough place for the Canucks to play in recent years, going 4-13 in the last 17 trips to Minnesota.
The opponent
Minnesota is the top team in the National Hockey League by points percentage (.750) and is tied with Winnipeg and New Jersey for first place in the overall standings with 36 points. The Wild returns to action after a 3-2 overtime win against Nashville on Saturday. Minnesota has won three straight and is 5-1-1 in its last seven outings.
Captain Jared Spurgeon scored the OT winner against the Preds while Kirill Kaprizov scored his team leading 15th goal of the season. Declan Chisholm’s first of the season was Minnesota’s other goal. Filip Gustavsson stopped 25 of the 27 shots he faced.
While Kaprizov is getting early Hart Trophy consideration leading the league in scoring with 38 points, the Wild’s success is largely as a result of team play at the other end of the ice. Minnesota is the best defensive team in the NHL allowing 56 goals through 24 games (2.33 per game).
Gustavsson has had a huge hand in that, recording an 11-4-3 record with a 2.05 GAA and 92.9% save percentage. He will get the nod in net tonight.
In addition to Kaprizov, Matt Boldy is off to a fine start with 11 goals and 24 points. Boldy leads the Wild with four power play goals and has a share of the league lead with five game winners.
On Saturday, Minnesota acquired defenceman David Jiricek from Columbus. The sixth overall pick in the 2022 draft was recalled from the minors on Sunday, however he will not make his Wild debut tonight. The team wants him to have a couple of practices before he suits up for the first time.
The last time these teams met last February, the Canucks and Wild played one of the craziest games in recent memory combining for 17 goals in a 10-7 Minnesota victory. Remarkably, the Canucks held a 5-2 lead late in the second period of that one. The Wild took the season series from the Canucks winning two of three meetings. Minnesota will visit Vancouver twice this season on March 7th and April 12th.
Tonight’s referees: Kelly Sutherland & TJ Luxmore
Tonight’s broadcasters: John Shorthouse & Dave Tomlinson
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