The Wild can clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight by earning a point against the Vancouver Canucks. It would mark Minnesota’s 12th trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the last 14 seasons. A matchup against the Canucks could be what Minnesota needs to finally clinch its spot in the postseason, as it has beaten Vancouver eight consecutive times at home. Tonight also marks a reunion of sorts as Quinn Hughes faces-off against his former team for the first time, while Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and Marco Rossi make their returns to Minnesota.
Vancouver will be on the second leg of a back-to-back tonight, as they earned an 8-6 win over the Colorado Avalanche last night. Minnesota native, Brock Boeser, led the way with his seventh career hat trick, while Marco Rossi tallied two assists in the win. Prior to that win, the Canucks had lost six games in a row, their second-longest losing streak of the season. The Canucks are one of two teams (New York Rangers) who are already mathematically eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention.
Filip Gustavsson will get the start for Minnesota tonight. He comes into tonight’s game with a 13-5-6 record with a 2.43 GAA, a .910 SV% and two shutouts in 25 home games (24 starts) this season. In 10 career starts against Vancouver, Gustavsson owns a 6-3-0 record with a 2.53 GAA, a .907 SV% and one shutout, and has won consecutive starts. For Vancouver, Thatcher Demko is the expected starter tonight. He owns a 8-10-1 record with a 2.90 GAA, a .895 SV% and one shutout this season.
Players to Watch:
Quinn Hughes: Playing his former team for the first time, Hughes comes into tonight’s contest with five points (0-5=5) in his last four games. Since being acquired from Vancouver, Hughes has 49 points (4-45=49) in 42 games with Minnesota dating back to December 14.
