A clash of titans in net. Who will steal the show as the Wild and Canucks face off in a pivotal goaltending showdown?
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Wild (41-21-12) is back home for a one-off before going on the road. The Wild will play tonight, hoping to clinch a playoff spot on home ice against the Vancouver Canucks (22-44-8).
It would be the sixth time in the last seven seasons that the Wild have made the playoffs and the 12th in the last 14 years.
Here are tonights starting goaltender matchup.
Filip Gustavsson will start for the Wild tonight. He is 26-13-6 on the season with a 2.57 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage in 46 games.
Gustavsson, 27, is still in search of his 100th career win with the Wild. He has lost his last two games and has allowed nine goals in those games.
He stopped 26-of-28 shots to earn the victory for the Wild in the first game against the Canucks this season and is 6-3-1 with a 2.45 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage and one shutout in 11 career games (10 starts) against Vancouver.
Nikita Tolopilo is projected to start for the Canucks tonight after Kevin Lankinen started in yesterday's game.
Tolopilo, 25, saved 28-of-30 shots he faced to earn the win in the second matchup this season for the Canucks. He is 1-0-0 with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage in his lone start in his career against the Wild.
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