The Canucks shut out the Wild 2-0 just over a week ago.
Riding a four-game winning streak, the Vancouver Canucks (20-9-1) head to the State of Hockey for a Saturday afternoon battle with the Minnesota Wild (11-12-4). The last time these two clubs faced off was on December 7 when led by Casey DeSmith, the Canucks shut out the Wild 2-0. Winners of seven of their last ten games, if Vancouver can capture a victory before overtime, they will become the first team in the NHL with 20 regulation wins this season.
Based on these two teams' recent play, this game has the potential to be a low-scoring, low-shot chess match. The Canucks have given up just four goals over their last four games, while Minnesota has allowed three goals once in their last eight. With the game being at an odd time as well, it is not out of the realm of possibility that this will be a mistake-filled contest, with the winner being whichever team can capitalize on their chances.
Players to Watch
Andrei Kuzmenko
It seems that Andrei Kuzmenko has found his confidence again. The Russian winger has scored in each of his last two games and logged over 15 minutes on Thursday night for the first time since November 30. While he may not be able to generate a ton of offence while playing on the fourth line, he should get some chance on power play one, as the Wild are one of the most heavily penalized teams in the league.
Filip Gustavsson
Filip Gustavsson has arguably been Minnesota's MVP this season. He is 3-1 in his last four starts, with a save percentage of .944 and a goals-against average of 1.48. If he plays as he did the last time these two teams met, it could be a very frustrating game for Vancouver's offence.
Projected Lineup
Lefferty - Pettersson- Mikheyev
Höglander- Miller- Boeser
Joshua- Bleuger- Garland
Di Giuseppe- Suter- Kuzmenko
Hughes- Hronek
Cole- Juulsen
Zadorov- Myers
DeSmith
Demko
Spread
Canucks: 3.25(-1.5)
Wild: 1.36 (+1.5)
Total
Over 6: 1.80
Under 6: 2.05
Money Line
Canucks: 1.95
Wild: 1.87
Game Information
Start Time: 11:00 am PT
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650
