The Vancouver Canucks and the Minnesota Wild meet in NHL action from the Xcel Energy Center on Monday afternoon. Who comes out on top in this afternoon matinee? Let’s dive in and find out with our Canucks vs. Wild Prediction.
Vancouver Canucks Team Preview
The Vancouver Canucks come into this game looking to rebound from a 4-2 loss to Winnipeg last time out. Elias Pettersson leads the Canucks in scoring with 72 points including 28 goals and 44 assists while J.T. Miller has 70 points with 24 goals and 46 assists. Quinn Hughes has 66 points with a team-high 54 assists and Brock Boeser has 54 points with a team-high 30 goals and 24 assists. Thatcher Demko’s gone 30-10-1 with a 2.45 GAA and a .918 save percentage in goal for Vancouver while Casey DeSmith is 7-3-5 with a 2.65 GAA and a .908 save percentage this season.
Vancouver Canucks Team Facts
- The Canucks have won each of their last 11 games as favorites following a home loss.
- The Canucks have covered the puck line in eight of their last nine games as favorites following a home loss.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Canucks’ last eight games.
- The Canucks have won the third period in nine of their last 11 games as favorites following a home loss.
Minnesota Wild Team Preview
The Minnesota Wild come into this one looking to rebound from a 3-2 OT loss to Buffalo last time out. Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild in scoring with 51 points including 20 goals and 31 assists while Mats Zuccarello has 40 points with a team-high 31 assists. Joel Eriksson Ek has 45 points with a team-high 25 goals while Matt Boldy has 40 points with 19 goals and 21 assists and Marco Rossi has 30 points with 14 goals and 16 assists as well. Brock Faber also has 33 points with 29 assists this season. Filip Gustavsson has posted a 15-13-3 record with a 3.18 GAA and an .897 save percentage while Marc-Andre Fleury is 10-9-3 with a 2.83 GAA and a .902 save percentage this season.
Minnesota Wild Team Facts
- The Wild have won each of their last seven day games at Xcel Energy Center after coming off overtime.
- The Wild have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight home games against Western Conference opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3’ market has hit in each of the Wild’s last nine games as underdogs.
- The Wild have lost the third period in each of their last six home games against Western Conference opponents.
Canucks vs. Wild Prediction
I’m backing the under here. These are two teams that pride themselves on solid defense and the goaltending has stepped up in a big way on both sides. The under’s also been very profitable when these two lock up and I just think this has all of the makings of a low-scoring, first to 3 wins battle. Give me the under here.