Vancouver Canucks Have Massive Obstacle to Overcome Against the Red-Hot Minnesota Wild
The Vancouver Canucks head to St. Paul, Minnesota, tonight for a 5 PM showdown against the red-hot Minnesota Wild.
Both teams are riding waves of momentum: the Canucks have taken 4 of their last 5 games, while the Wild boast a three-game win streak.
With playoff positioning far from anyone's mind this early in the season, this matchup still promises to be a compelling battle between two teams exceeding expectations.
The Wild, sitting at a stunning 16-4-4, have emerged as this season's biggest surprise. Predicted by many to be a fringe playoff contender, they've instead soared to the top of the NHL standings.
Their success has been powered by a balanced offense and staunch defense, but tonight, they'll have to make do without key contributors Mats Zuccarello and Jonas Brodin.
On the other side, the Canucks continue to find ways to win despite missing a couple of their own critical pieces-J.T. Miller and Filip Hronek are sidelined.
Vancouver's depth will be tested against one of the league's most balanced teams, and they'll lean heavily on their captain, Elias Pettersson, and Quinn Hughes to lead the charge.
Projected Lineups:
Canucks:
Second Line: Nils Höglander - Teddy Blueger - Kiefer Sherwood
Third Line: Dakota Joshua - Pius Suter - Conor Garland
Fourth Line: Max Sasson - Aatu Räty - Danton Heinen
Defense Pairs:
Wild:
Second Line: Marcus Johansson - Marco Rossi - Ryan Hartman
Third Line: Marcus Foligno - Freddy Gaudreau - Yakov Trenin
Fourth Line: Devin Shore - Marat Khusnutdinov - Ben Jones
Defense Pairs:
With both teams playing high-energy hockey and compensating for injured stars, tonight's game could turn into a gritty, hard-fought battle.
It will be fun to watch one of the games biggest stars and Hart Trophy favourite Kirill Kaprizov tonight!
