A look at some of the analytics from the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild.
Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver's most recent 3-2 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild.
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The analytics for this game were very interesting as despite getting heavily outchanced, the Canucks were able to produce more even-strength high-danger chances. At even strength, Minnesota won the scoring chance by a count of 27-18, while Vancouver won the high-danger chances battle 10-8. In the end, the Wild were able to outscore the Canucks 3-1 at even-strength, which is why they skated away with the overtime victory.
Heatmap by Natural Stat Trick, VAN vs MIN, Dec 3, 2024Overall, the heatmap shows that Vancouver did a good job of boxing out and preventing second-chance opportunities in front of Kevin Lankinen. Minnesota was forced to shoot from distance, finishing with only four high-danger shots on goal. From a defensive perspective, the Canucks as a whole played strong defensively, which is why they were able to limit the Wild's high-danger chances all game.
On the blue line, the pairing of Noah Juulsen and Carson Soucy really stepped up. During their 13:45 of even-strength time together, Vancouver held a 10-8 shots advantage while producing six high-danger chances compared to zero against. Ultimately, this may have been Soucy's and Juulsen's best games of the season, as they played a crucial role in shutting down the NHL's best team so far this season.
Lastly, it was another strong performance for Conor Garland, who played 20:19 at even-strength. During those minutes, the Canucks outshot Minnesota 9-3 and had a 5-2 high-danger scoring chances advantage. Tuesday was just another example of how Garland has evolved his game and become one of Rick Tocchet's most trusted forwards.
