Minnesota Wild Seek Another Road Win Against Improving Canucks

The Minnesota Wild have been a force away from home all season, and they will look to continue their road dominance when they visit the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night.

Minnesota leads the NHL with 47 road points (22-9-3) and sits in third place in the Central Division, just behind the Dallas Stars. Meanwhile, Vancouver has struggled on home ice for much of the year, posting a 12-10-7 record. However, the Canucks have been improving at Rogers Arena, earning points in five straight home games (4-0-1).

Minnesota Wild: Road Warriors Chasing Playoff Position

The Wild’s ability to win away from home has kept them firmly in the Western Conference playoff race. With Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jonas Brodin still on injured reserve, Minnesota has had to grind out victories in recent weeks.

In Tuesday’s 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken, the Wild built a 4-1 lead but had to withstand a late surge from Seattle. Despite being outshot 36-20, Minnesota found a way to secure two crucial points.

Mats Zuccarello led the way with a goal and an assist, while Filip Gustavsson made 33 saves to hold off the Kraken. Gustavsson, who has a 6-3-0 record with a 2.57 goals-against average in his last nine starts, will likely be in net again on Friday.

One area of concern for Minnesota is its penalty kill. The Wild rank near the bottom of the NHL with a 70.3% success rate, something that could be an issue against a Canucks squad that has excelled on special teams lately.

Vancouver Canucks: Finding Their Stride at Home

The Canucks are in a fight for a playoff spot and have found some much-needed consistency on home ice. Vancouver has gone 4-0-1 in its last five games at Rogers Arena, a marked improvement over its earlier home struggles.

Vancouver earned a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday despite missing star defenseman Quinn Hughes, who is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. The Canucks got key contributions from depth players, including Teddy Blueger, who snapped a 25-game goal drought, and Carson Soucy, whose goal stood as the game-winner.

“Depth scoring is just always important, especially when you’re trying to make a run here,” Soucy said. “It was nice to help the team get a win this late in the season.”

With Thatcher Demko still sidelined, Kevin Lankinen is expected to start in goal. Vancouver’s penalty kill has been stellar lately, going 23-for-24 over the past 10 games.

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Head-to-Head Matchup: Wild vs. Canucks

Minnesota has dominated Vancouver in recent years, going 11-1-0 in their last 12 meetings, including a 3-2 overtime win on Dec. 3.

The Wild will look to extend that dominance by relying on their road-tested formula of tight defense and opportunistic scoring. Vancouver, meanwhile, will need to maintain its recent home success and take advantage of Minnesota’s struggling penalty kill.

Prediction: Can the Canucks Break the Trend?

Minnesota’s road success and recent dominance over Vancouver give them the edge, but the Canucks have been finding ways to win at home. If Vancouver can continue its strong penalty killing and capitalize on Minnesota’s injuries, this could be a tightly contested game.

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Final Score Prediction: Wild 3, Canucks 2 (OT)

Can Minnesota continue its road dominance, or will Vancouver’s improved home play help them snap their losing streak against the Wild? Find out Friday night in a crucial Western Conference showdown.