Canucks at Wild preview

CANUCKS (4-3-1) at WILD (2-2-2)
8 p.m. ET; FS-N, SNV, NHL.TV

Granlund was the Wild's leading scorer last season with 69 points (26 goals, 43 assists) in 81 games. Minnesota will begin a six-game homestand, and the Canucks will conclude a five-game road trip; they are 3-1-0 in the first four games.
Wild forward Zach Parise will miss 8-10 weeks after having back surgery on Tuesday.
Goaltender Devan Dubnyk will start for Minnesota; he's 1-2-1 with a 3.80 goals-against average and .888 save percentage in four starts. Goaltender Anders Nilsson will start for Vancouver; he's 1-1-0 with a 3.38 GAA and .918 save percentage in two starts.

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Players to watch

Canucks forward Brock Boeser has six points (two goals, four assists), and has points in five of six games this season. The Burnsville, Minnesota, native is tied for ninth in the League among rookies in goals and is sixth in points.
Wild forward Justin Kloos is expected to make his NHL debut. Kloos, 23, recalled from Iowa of the American Hockey League on Monday, has three points (one goal, two assists) in six AHL games this season. He was signed by Minnesota on March 29 after a four-year career at the University of Minnesota, where he had 150 points (63 goals, 87 assists) in 155 games.

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They said it

"I think we've played a good team game. I think our team, structurally, has played sound. I like the way we've competed, in our way. We're not a team that's going to have one line carry the way for us. We have to be a four-line team. All six [defensemen] have to play well, and so far I've liked a lot of our games." -- Canucks coach Travis Green
"Like any team in the NHL, they get their best player back, it's going to impact them, and he's our best player. So hopefully he's not rusty, and he's in pure game form, and if he is, then we're a better team." -- Wild coach Bruce Boudreau on the return of forward Mikael Granlund

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Canucks projected lineup

Daniel Sedin -- Henrik Sedin -- Jake Virtanen
Sven Baertschi -- Bo Horvat -- Brock Boeser
Sam Gagner -- Alexander Burmistrov -- Thomas Vanek
Markus Granlund -- Brandon Sutter -- Derek Dorsett
Michael Del Zotto -- Chris Tanev
Ben Hutton -- Erik Gudbranson
Derrick Pouliot -- Alex Biega
Anders Nilsson
Jacob Markstrom
Scratched:Michael Chaput, Patrick Wiercioch, Thatcher Demko
Injured:Loui Eriksson (knee), Alexander Edler (knee), Brendan Gaunce (shoulder), Troy Stecher (knee)

Wild projected lineup

Jason Zucker -- Mikko Koivu -- Mikael Granlund
Marcus Foligno -- Eric Staal -- Chris Stewart
Daniel Winnik -- Matt Cullen -- Luke Kunin
Tyler Ennis -- Joel Eriksson Ek -- Justin Kloos
Ryan Suter -- Jared Spurgeon
Mike Reilly -- Jonas Brodin
Kyle Quincey - Mathew Dumba
Devan Dubnyk
Alex Stalock
Scratched: Landon Ferraro, Gustav Olofsson
Injured:Zach Parise (back surgery), Charlie Coyle (fractured right fibula), Nino Niederreiter (ankle)

Status report

The Canucks recalled Demko from Utica of the AHL on Monday, but Green said that was strictly for cap and waiver restrictions and not for injury concerns. … Stecher is out 4-6 weeks. Gaunce is close to returning.

Stat pack

Dorsett has five points (four goals, one assist) in a three-game point streak. ... Stewart has eight points (six goals, two assists) in a six-game point streak. Zucker has six points (two goals, four assists) in his past five games.