CANUCKS GAME PREVIEW | Canucks vs Minnesota Wild

On By CanucksBanterIn Canucks Game Preview

CANUCKS VS WILD PREVIEW

TV: Sportsnet Pacific
Radio: SN650

MATCH-UP INFO

  • Tonight marks the third and final meeting between Vancouver and Minnesota this season: Oct. 26 (3-2 L), Mar. 24 (3-2 OT L), Apr. 21 (road).
  • The Canucks have a 47-34-5-10 all-time record against the Wild, including a 22-22-2-3 record on the road.
  • The Canucks are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games vs Minnesota (1-2-2 in their last 5).
  • Among active Canucks skaters, Brad Richardson leads the team in career scoring vs Minnesota with 17 points (7-10-17) in 44 games.
  • Jaroslav Halak has faced the Wild 14 times in his career (5-3-4), posting a .925 SV% and a 2.12 GAA.
  • Thatcher Demko has faced Minnesota twice in his career (0-1-1), owning a .909 SV% and a 3.02 GAA.

QUICK NUMBERS

LAST MEETING – MAR. 24/22: VAN 2 at MIN 3 (OT)

Bo Horvat reached the 25-goal plateau and extended his goal streak to three games to open the scoring at 4:13 in the first period…Oliver EkmanLarsson and Brock Boeser recorded the assists…J.T. Miller notched the tying goal on the power play at 7:56 in the third period…Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson assisted on the play…Boeser led all Canucks in shots (5)…Luke Schenn led the team in hits (6)…Thatcher Demko made 33 saves.

LAST GAME PLAYED – APR. 19/22: VAN 3 vs OTT 4 (SO)

J.T. Miller (1-1-2) opened up scoring with a power play goal at 1:55 in the first period…This marked J.T.’s 30th goal of the season, an NHL career high…Brock Boeser (1-1-2) followed up with a goal at 15:14 in the first…Brad Hunt (0-1-1) recorded an assist on the play…Travis Dermott (1-0-1) scored his first goal as a Canuck pushing the game into overtime…Quinn Hughes (0-2-2) collected two assists…Sheldon Dries led the team in shots (6)…William Lockwood led the team in hits (4)…J.T. Miller won 12 face-offs (67%)…Jaroslav Halak stopped all 14 shots faced before being relieved by Thatcher Demko…Demko faced 17 shots.

LAST 5 vs OTTAWA

  • Mar. 24/22: VAN 2 at MIN 3 (OT)
  • Oct. 26/21: VAN 2 vs MIN 3
  • Feb. 19/20: VAN 3 vs MIN 4 (SO)
  • Feb. 6/20: VAN 2 at MIN 4
  • Jan. 12/20: VAN 4 at MIN 1

30 &THRIVING

  • On. Apr. 19 vs OTT J.T. Miller reached the 30 goals in a season mark for the first time in his career, joining Bo Horvat (31) as the second Canucks player to do so in 2021-22. The last campaign to feature multiple Vancouver skaters with 30-plus goals was 2010-11, when Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler both scored 41.
  • Bo Horvat scored twice (2-1-3) on Apr. 7 at ARI to record his first career 30-goal campaign and became the first Canucks player to reach the mark in a season since Radim Vrbata in 2014-15 (31).
  • Elias Pettersson trails close behind after having scored twice on Apr. 18 vs DAL to establish a new NHL career high in goals with 29 in 2021-22 (29- 34-63 in 74 games), eclipsing his previous best set in 2018-19 (28).

MILLER TIME

  • On Apr. 14/22 vs ARI J.T. Miller set career highs in both assists (5) and points (5) in a game. Miller is the 5th player in Canucks history with a 5-assist game and the first to do so since Markus Naslund (Feb 25, 2003 vs ATL).
  • Surpassing the 90-point mark while helping set up all but 2 of his team’s goals in a 7-1 crushing of the Coyotes on Apr. 14/22 night, J.T. Miller (29- 60-89) became the fourth different Canucks player to record 60 assists in a season and the first since Henrik Sedin (67) in 2011-12.

QUINN FOR THE WIN

  • On Apr. 19 vs OTT Quinn Hughes (0-1-1) appeared in his 200th NHL game and boosted his career totals to 17-140-157 (200 GP). His 140 assists are the most by any Canucks player through their first 200 career games with the club ahead of Pavel Bure (110), Thomas Gradin (110) and Patrik Sundstrom (104). His 157th career point also ranks fifth most by a U.S.-born defenseman through 200 career games behind Phil Housley (192), Brian Leetch (191), Mark Howe (189) and Gary Suter (178).
  • On. Apr. 19 Quinn Hughes (0-2-2) recorded his 55th assist of 2021-22 and matched the Canucks record for most by a defenceman in a season,
  • set by Dennis Kearns 45 years ago (55 in 1976-77). Hughes also became the third defenceman in Canucks history to record 60 points in a season (6- 54-60 in 71 GP), joining Doug Lidster (1986-87: 12-51-63 in 80 GP) and Dennis Kearns (1976-77: 5-55-60 in 80 GP).
  • On Apr. 14/22 Hughes (0-3-3) recorded his 10th career three-assist game and surpassed Dennis Kearns (9x) for the most by a Canucks defenseman. Seven players in franchise history have more than Hughes.
  • Quinn Hughes (6-50-56 in 69 GP) became the third defenceman in Canucks history to record 50 assists in a season, joining David Kearns (55 in 1976-77), Doug Lidster (51 in 1986-87) and Paul Reinhart (50 in 1988-89).

POINT CHASER

Collecting two goals on Apr. 14 vs ARI, Alex Chiasson extended his point streak to five games tying his career-high. Collecting two points (1-1-2) on Apr. 9 vs SJS, Alex Chiasson registered his consecutive multi-point games (2-1-3 on Apr. 7 at ARI) for the first time in his career.

WINNING WAYS

On Apr. 12 vs VGK, Thatcher Demko passed Ryan Miller for seventh-most wins (65) by a Canucks goaltender in 19 fewer games played. On Apr. 9 vs SJS, Demko became the first Canucks goaltender since Roberto Luongo (31 W) in 2011-12 and sixth ever to win 30 games in a season.

RECENT CANUCKS MILESTONES

  • Quinn Hughes, 200 Games Played, Apr. 19 vs OTT
  • Elias Pettersson – 200 Points, Mar. 26 at DAL

CURRENT INJURIES

  • Alex Chiasson – 2 games
  • Bo Horvat – 2 games
  • Tanner Pearson – 4 games
  • Tucker Poolman – 6 games
  • Nils Höglander – 15 games
  • Brady Keeper – 76 games
  • Brandon Sutter – 76 games

Total man games lost (due to injuries or illness): 414 games

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