The Vancouver Canucks began their four-game homestand with a win on Wednesday night and look to follow that up with another two points as they host the Minnesota Wild on Friday.
In their win to kick off the homestand, Filip Hronek had a pair of assists, while Jake DeBrusk, Teddy Blueger, and Carson Soucy scored. Kevin Lankinen was between the pipes for the victory.
The Wild have been in Vancouver for two days after beating the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night. They are halfway through the short two-game road trip that has them heading back to Minnesota for a seven-game homestand following Friday night’s game.
Friday night will be the second of three matchups this season between the Canucks and the Wild. Minnesota won 3-2 in overtime on home ice at the beginning of December.
The Wild are without two of their impactful forwards, Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov, who are on injury reserve. With the injuries, their top line consists of Gustav Nyquist, Marco Rossi, and Matt Boldy.
Boldy leads the Wild with 53 points in 62 games this season. The 23-year-old winger is averaging just shy of 20 minutes a game, and his most consistent linemate this season has been Rossi. When Boldy and Rossi are on the ice together this season, they have outscored the opposition 20-12.
The top-line trio of Nyquist, Rossi and Boldy has only played 27:25 this season and has not been on the ice for a goal scored or against.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- Minnesota’s .926% save percentage at five-on-five this season ranks them fourth in the league.
- Filip Gustavsson has started 41 of their 62 games this season and holds a 24-13-3 record with a .914% save percentage, a 2.62 goals-against average, and is tied for second in the league alongside Kevin Lankinen with four shutouts.
- Brock Faber has been the horse on the backend this year, averaging 25:07 of ice time per game. The 22-year-old defenceman has six goals and 17 assists this season. He plays on the top-pairing, first power play unit and is typically first over the boards to kill penalties.
- Boldy is one of five players in the NHL with eight or more game-winning goals.
- Scoring first on the road has been particularly important for the Wild this season. They are 16-3-1 when they score first, while posting a 6-6-2 record when the opposition scores first.
- The Wild are 24-0-0 when leading after two periods.
- They have outscored their opponents 31-22 in first periods on the road.
The Story: Faceoff Prowess
On Wednesday, Elias Pettersson won a career-high 20 faceoffs. Teddy Blueger went 11/13 in the dot, and the Canucks’ excellent work in the faceoff circle helped the team control the puck for breakouts and offensive zone possessions.
“It controls play, right? If you are losing a lot of draws, a lot of things can happen, like tip goals,” said head coach Rick Tocchet following Wednesday’s game. “I thought those guys were good on the dots.”
The two Canucks’ faceoff dominance on Wednesday played a part in Blueger being on the ice for nine shots on net and zero shots against at five-on-five while Pettersson was on the ice for 10 shots for and one shot against.
Pettersson’s big night in the dot put him on a compact list of nine players who have won 20 or more faceoffs in a game this season.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Conor Garland: 2g-1a-3p
Pius Suter: 2g-1a-3p
Filip Chytil: 1g-2a-3p
Tyler Myers: 1g-2a-3p
Jake DeBrusk: 2g-0a-2p
When and Where to Watch
Friday’s game is a 7:00 p.m. PT start, and you can watch it on Sportsnet or listen along to the radio call with Brendan Batchelor on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
