Game Day Preview: Vancouver Attempts To Wrap Up Homestand With Win Over Toronto

VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 13:Sven Baertschi #47 of the Vancouver Canucks scores on James Reimer #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs as he is checked by Roman Polak #46 of the Maple Leafs during their NHL game at Rogers Arena February 13, 2016 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Toronto won 5-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 13:Sven Baertschi #47 of the Vancouver Canucks scores on James Reimer #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs as he is checked by Roman Polak #46 of the Maple Leafs during their NHL game at Rogers Arena February 13, 2016 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Toronto won 5-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

canbangdpregm

andrewchernoff By Andrew Chernoff

December 3, 2016

Game Time: 4:00 PM PST
Location: Rogers Arena
TV: CBC
Radio: TSN 1040

Vancouver (10-12-2=22 pts) play the final game of a three game homestand tonight at Rogers Arena against Eastern conference rivals, Toronto Maple Leafs (10-9-4=24 pts).

Vancouver is 1-1-0 in the previous two home games; 6-4-1 in their last 11 games and 3-2-0 in their last 5.

The Canucks play the Maple Leafs in the second and last of two meetings this season; the Canucks visited Toronto on Nov 5, and the Maple Leafs defeated the Canucks 6-3, handing the Canucks their fourth straight regulation road loss (0-4-1); extending their losing streak, at the time, to 8 games (0-7-1).

Nazim Kadri Hit On Daniel Sedin

The game was especially eventful for a hit on Daniel Sedin, who was blindsided by Nazim Kadri.

After taking the shot, Daniel Sedin was rocked by a hit from Nazim Kadri, who was assessed a five minute charging penalty, a game misconduct and five for fighting. Jannik Hansen came to Sedin’s defense, fighting Kadri, and was given a game misconduct, five minutes for fighting and an instigator penalty.

Jannik Hansen has been out of the lineup since that game, with a broken rib, which he fought Kadri with at the time.

Sedin has continued to stay in the lineup since the controversial hit.

The NHL weighed in on the Nazim Kadri hit on Daniel Sedin, and decided it did not warrant further penalty and no further action would be taken against Kadri, because, “If the head is not the main point of contact, it doesn’t matter if it’s North, South, East or West.”, according to Damian Echevarrieta, Group Vice President of NHL Player Safety and Hockey Operations.

The game tonight could have some repercussions and possible payback tonight, if emotions are still raw, on the part of the Canucks.

After tonight, the Canucks embark on a 5-game road trip, playing Eastern conference squads: New Jersey, Dec 6; Tampa Bay, Dec 8; Florida, Dec 10; Washington, Dec 11; and, Carolina, Dec 13; before returning to Vancouver for 6 of 8 remaining games in December at Rogers Arena.

Vancouver is 5-3-1 in their last 9 games and (3-1-1 in their last 5).

In the Canucks last game, the Anaheim Ducks defeated Vancouver 3-1, their second win against the Canucks this season. Henrik Sedin, had the lone score for Vancouver, with his 6th goal; Loui Eriksson, got the lone assist, his 5th of the season. Ryan Miller stopped 21 of 24 shots.

Canucks In Brief:

Canucks, continue to be in 6th place in the Pacific division; 6 points behind the 2nd and 3rd place Ducks and Oilers; 3 points in front of Arizona.

Record By Five Game Segment

GAME SEGMENT                        1-5       6-10     11-15     16-20   21-24
W-L-OTL                                      4-0-1     0-5-0     1-4-0      3-1-1      2-2-0
GOALS FOR/GAME                     2.6        0.8         2.2          3.4          2.5
GOALS AGAINST/GAME           2.0        3.4         3.4          3.6          2.8
PP%                                                 13.0       0.0         7.7         23.1        27.3
PK%                                                86.7       77.8      95.0        75.0        100

Vancouver’s goaltender tandem of Ryan Miller and Jacob Markstrom are 25th in the NHL, with a 2.95 GAA and a .898 SV%:

  • Jacob Markstrom is 6-3-2, with a 2.73 GAA (22nd), and a .902 Sv% (t-29th)*  * At least 12 GP
  • Ryan Miller is 4-9-0, with a 2.80 GAA (23rd), and a .907 Sv% (23rd)*

Leading scorers:

  • Bo Horvat (8-7=15 pts)
  • Henrik Sedin (6-9=15 pts)
  • Daniel Sedin (6-8=14 pts)
  • Brandon Sutter (6-7=13 pts)
  • Loui Eriksson (6-5=11 pts)
  • Sven Baertschi (3-7=10 pts)

Scratches: #55-Alex Biega; #62-LaBate

Canucks injured:

  • Anton Rodin; 24 games missed
  • Chris Tanev; 14 games
  • Jannik Hansen; 12 games
  • Derek Dorsett; 6 games
  • Alex Edler; 2 games

Total Man Games Lost: 100

Points streaks:

  • LOUI ERIKSSON (2-1-3 / 3 Games)
  • HENRIK SEDIN (1-2-3 / 2 Games)

Vancouver special teams are:

  • 10 for 70: 14.3 percent on the power play overall (t-24th in the NHL), with 92 shots for, 21 shots against, 1 shorthanded goal against
  • 9 for 64: 85.9 percent on the penalty kill overall (4th best in NHL), with 70 shots against, 16 shots for, 2 shorthanded goals for

Canucks have allowed 72 goals against (25th in NHL), and have scored 53 goals (27th in NHL).

Canucks Notables: 

  • Through 24 games, Bo Horvat currently leads the team in goals (8) and points (16), and had a five-game point streak: 3-4-7 from Nov. 19-29. Through the first 23 games of 2015.16, Horvat had eight points (2-6-8). He has registered 46 points in 68 games during the calendar year.
  • Nikita Tryamkin ranks t-13th (min 14 GP) in the NHL in hits per game (3.2).
  • Troy Stecher:
    • ranks 4th in rookie TOI/game with 20:58
    • ranks 3rd among all defensemen in Shots/60 (All Situations) at 8.77
    • ranks 6th among all defensemen in Shots/60 (5-on-5) at 7.12
    • ranks 136th overall in Shots/60 (5-on-5) at 7.12
    • ranks 72nd overall in Shots/60 (All Situations) at 8.77
    • ranks 1st among rookie defensemen, 2nd among all rookies, in Shots/G average at 3.1; tied for 25th overall in NHL
  • Brandon Sutter is 19th in the NHL with 219 faceoff wins; Bo Horvat is t-26th with 203 faceoff wins.
  • After going goalless through his first 13 games, Loui Eriksson has 6 goals in the last 11 games (4 goals in the last 6 games).
  • Michael Chaput leads the team with a 53.6 faceoff win percentage (min. 50 faceoffs). Among players aged 24 years or younger in the NHL, Chaput also ranks fourth in faceoff win percentage (min. 50 faceoffs).
  • The Canucks penalty kill ranks 4th at 85.9%. The Canucks have killed off 13 consecutive opposing power plays over the past 6 games.
  • The Canucks rank 8th with 755 total faceoff wins and rank 6th with 617 even-strength faceoff wins. Vancouver ranks t-9th in faceoff win percentage at 50.8%; in 2015.16, the Canucks’ 45.4% faceoff win percentage ranked 30th.
  • The Canucks are t-10th for the fewest shots allowed per game at 29.5.
  • The Canucks have tallied at least 1 power-play goal in 5 of the last 9 games. During this stretch, the Canucks power-play has gone 6/24 (25.0%).

Maple Leafs In Brief:

Toronto have 24 points and are in 7th place in the Atlantic division, 6 points behind 2nd place Ottawa; 3 points behind 3rd place Boston; 1 point ahead Buffalo.

In their last game, the Calgary Flames defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-0 at Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday, Nov 30.

Jhonas Enroth made 26 saves for the Maple Leafs, who lost for the first time in three games and have split the first two games of a three-game Western Canada road trip after winning 4-2 against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

Maple Leafs have the 28th best goaltending in the NHL, with Frederik Andersen, and Jhonas Enroth, with a 3.10 GAA, and .905 SV%.

Andersen is 10-6-3, with a 2.92 GAA, and a .912 SV%. Enroth is 0-3-1, with a 3.94 GAA, and a .872 SV%.

Toronto leading scorers:  *Rookie

  • James van Riemsdyk (10-9=19 pts)
  • * Mitchell Marner (7-12=19 pts)
  • * Auston Matthews (10-8=18 pts)
  • Nazem Kadri (10-7=17 pts)

Maple Leafs injured: 

  • Josh Leivo 14 games

Total Man Games Lost: 23

Points streaks: none

Toronto special teams are:

  • 13 for 68: 19.1 percent on the power play overall (12th in the NHL)
  • 11 for 73: 84.9 percent on the penalty kill overall (8th in the NHL)

Maple Leafs have surrendered 72 goals (t-25th in NHL), and have scored 70 goals (t-6th in NHL).

Maple Leafs Notables:

  • Toronto has a record of 4-3-2 against the Western Conference and a record of 3-2-0 against the Pacific Division this season.
  • All-time
    • Tonight’s game marks the 142nd matchup between the Maple Leafs and Canucks.
    • The first game between the clubs took place on October 11, 1970 with the Canucks edging the Maple Leafs by a 5-3 score in Vancouver.
    • The Maple Leafs have an all-time record of 57-61-22-1 in 141 games against the Canucks and a record of 25-36-11-0 in games
      played in Vancouver.
    • The last Toronto win over Vancouver on the road took place on Feb. 13, 2016 (Toronto 5, Vancouver 2).
    • In the last 5 games between the two clubs, the Maple Leafs have a record of 4-1-0.
    • In the last 10 games between the two clubs, the Maple Leafs have a record of 5-5-0.
  • The Maple Leafs had six rookies suit up for their season opener against Ottawa: Connor Brown, Zach Hyman, Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Nikita Zaitsev. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Leafs had six rookies in its opening-night lineup was 1981-82: Jim Benning, Fred Boimistruck, Stewart Gavin, Bob McGill, Vince Tremblay and Gary Yaremchuk
  • Toronto rookies have combined for 81 points (30 goals, 51 assists) in 23 games this season.

VS TORONTO NOTES:

  • The Canucks are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games versus the Leafs dating back to the 2010.11 season
  • Daniel Sedin leads the Canucks with 25 points (12-13-25) in 26 career games against Toronto
  • Henrik Sedin has 23 points (5-18-23) in 26 career games against Toronto
  • Henrik Sedin’s first career goal came against the Leafs on Oct. 16/00; he now has 228 career goals which is 7th most in franchise history
  • Alex Burrows’ first career assist and goal came against Toronto on Jan. 10/06; his career-high for most points in a game also occurred in a game versus the Leafs on Jan. 30/10 (2-2-4)
  • Ryan Miller has faced the Leafs on 54 occasions, his most against a single opponent; in those games, he has a record of 32-19-3 with a 2.64 GAA and .917 save percentage

Pregame Stats

Regular Season Game 25, Home Game 14

Records:
Tor: 10-9-4 (Road: 2-6-4)
Van: 10-12-2 (Home: 7-5-1)

Team    SF    SA     PP        PK     PIM    HITS   GF   GA
Tor          742  758  13-68    11-73     262       584       70     72
Van         710  707  10-70      9-64    252       468       53      72

Team        CF               CA           SCF          SCA       CF60%   CA60%   CF%
Tor     1385(1103)  1417(1110)    518(411)   481(368)     60.3          60.7        49.8
Van    1260(998)   1236(1005)  494(375)   513(417)      53.1           53.5        49.8

Note: 5v5 stats in parenthesis for CF & CA, SCF & SCA ,                                                                CF60%, CA60% & CF% are 5v5
SCF=scoring chances for; SCA=scoring chances against.

Potential Canucks Lineup:

#22D. Sedin-#33H.Sedin-#20Sutter
#60Granlund-#45Chaput-#21Ericksson
#47Baertschi-#53Horvat-#14Burrows
#9Skille-#50Gaunce-#46Megna

#5Sbisa-#51Stecher
#27Hutton-#44Gudbranson
#88Tryamkin-#63Larsen

#30Miller
#25Markstrom

They Said It….

Game Day Preview: Vancouver Hosts Wild, Go For 4th Win In Last Six Games

VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 15: Zach Parise #11 of the Minnesota Wild and Bo Horvat #53 of the Vancouver Canucks battle along the boards during their NHL game at Rogers Arena February 15, 2016 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Minnesota won 5-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC – Zach Parise #11 of the Minnesota Wild and Bo Horvat #53 of the Vancouver Canucks battle along the boards during their NHL game at Rogers Arena February 15, 2016 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Minnesota won 5-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

canbangdpregm

andrewchernoff By Andrew Chernoff

November 29, 2016

Game Time: 7:00 PM PST
Location: Rogers Arena
TV: Sportsnet Pacific
Radio: TSN 1040

Vancouver (9-11-2=20 pts) play the first game of a three game homestand tonight at Rogers Arena against Western conference rivals, Minnesota Wild (11-7-3=25 pts).

The Canucks play the Wild in their first of three meetings this season; the Wild visit Rogers Arena again on Feb. 4 while the Canucks visit the Xcel Energy Center on Mar. 25.

After tonight, the Canucks entertain Pacific division rivals, Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, Dec 1 and then, take on the Toronto Maple Leafs, Saturday, Dec 3.

The game is the first of Minnesota’s three road games in Western Canada, that will also take them to Calgary Friday night, and then Edmonton on Sunday.

Vancouver is 5-3-1 in their last 9 games and (3-1-1 in their last 5).

In the Canucks last game,  Markus Granlund scored the lone shootout goal to give the Vancouver Canucks a 3-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center on Saturday.

Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom, made 33 saves, including four in overtime.

Vancouver had goals from: Loui Eriksson (5) on the power play, in the opening period, to make it 1-0 Canucks; and Alex Burrows (4), in the third period, to make it 2-1 Vancouver.

Bo Horvat extended his points streak to 4 games (2-4=6 pts), with his 8th assist of the season; other assists came from Granlund (4) and Ben Hutton (3).

Horvat has 9 points (2-7) in 11 road games this season, and 6 points (5-1)at Rogers Arena in 11 games.

Canucks In Brief:

Canucks, continue to occupy 6th place in the Pacific division, with 20 points; 5 points behind the 2nd and 3rd place Kings and Sharks; 2 points behind Calgary; 2 points in front of Arizona, who have two games in hand.

Vancouver’s goaltender tandem of Ryan Miller and Jacob Markstrom are 25th in the NHL, with a 2.90 GAA and a .899 SV%:

  • Jacob Markstrom is 23rd in the NHL with a 2.73 GAA; Ryan Miller is 22nd with a 2.67 GAA (min. 11 games played)
  • Jacob Markstrom is t-28th in the NHL with a .902 save percentage; Ryan Miller is 22nd with a .910 save percentage (min. 11 games played)
  • Markstrom is 6-3-2, while Miller is 3-8-0, on the season.

Leading scorers:  Bo Horvat (7-8=15 pts), Daniel Sedin (6-7=13 pts), Henrik Sedin (5-7=12 pts), Brandon Sutter (5-6=11 pts), Sven Baertschi (2-7=9 pts), Markus Granlund (5-4=9 pts), Loui Eriksson (5-4=9 pts), Alex Burrows 4-4=8 pts), Jannik Hansen (2-4=6 pts), Ben Hutton (2-3=5 pts), Derek Dorsett (1-3=4 pts), Philip Larsen (0-4=4 pts), Luca Sbisa (0-4=4 pts)

Scratches: #55-Alex Biega; #62-LaBate

Canucks injured:

  • Anton Rodin; 22 games missed
  • Chris Tanev; 12 games missed
  • Jannik Hansen; 10 games missed
  • Derek Dorsett; 4 games missed
  • Alex Edler

Total Man Games Lost: 90

Points streaks:

  • BO HORVAT (2-4-6 / 4 Games)

Vancouver special teams are:

  • 8 for 64: 12.5 percent on the power play overall (26th in the NHL), with 82 shots for, 19 shots against, 1 shorthanded goal against
  • 9 for 60: 85.2 percent on the penalty kill overall (t-6th best in NHL), with 64 shots against, 16 shots for, 2 shorthanded goals for

Canucks have allowed 65 goals against (25th in NHL), and have scored 47 goals (28th in NHL).

Canucks Notables:

  • According to NHL.com, Stecher is averaging 3.2 shots/GP, after 13 games played
    • Only two rookie defensemen have averaged greater than 2.5 shots/GP in last 20 years: P.K. Subban and Dion Phaneuf, according to Corey Pronman, NHL writer for ESPN Insider.
  • Canucks leading scorers at home:
    • Brandon Sutter (5-4=9 pts)
    • Daniel Sedin (3-5=8 pts)
    • Bo Horvat (5-1=6 pts)
  • Leading scorers on road:
    • Bo Horvat (2-7=9 pts)
    • Henrik Sedin (4-3=7 pts)
    • 4 players with 5 points
  • In last 9 games:
    • Eriksson has 5 goals
    • Burrows, 4 goals
    • Sutter, 4 goals
    • Horvat has 10 points (3-7)
  • Vancouver has 3 regulation wins in 22 games
  • Canucks in last 11 games are: 5-5-1
    • in last 5 games, 3-1-1
  • Power play in last 11 games is 17.2% (16th)
    • in last 5 games, 27.3% (3rd)
  • Penalty kill in last 11 games is 84.8% (t-10th)
    • in last 5 games, 91.7% (7th)
    • in last 4 games, 100% (best)
  • FOW% in last 11 games is 52.1 percent (8th)
    • in last 5 games, 52.1% (7th)
    • in last 3 games, 49.2% (21st)
  • Team Shooting percentage in last 11 games is 8.8% (13th)
    • in last 4 games, 8.6% (10th)
  • Giveaways in last 11 games are 74 (5th least): 6.73 / G
    • in last 6 games, 39 (3rd least): 6.5 / G
  • In last 11 games:
    • OZ FOW%: 56 percent (3rd); DZ FOW%: 50.7 (11th); NZ FOW%: 49.4 (16th)
    • FOW Ahead: 10th best; FOW Close: 3rd best; FOW Behind: 21st
  • In last 6 games:
    • OZ FOW%: 54.4 percent (7th); DZ FOW%: 50.4 (9th); NZ FOW%: 50.0 (15th)
    • FOW Ahead: 4th best; FOW Close: 8th best; FOW Behind: 26th
  • Through 22 games, Bo Horvat currently leads the team in goals (7) and points (15), and is on a four-game point streak: 2-4-6.
  • Through the first 22 games of 2015.16, Horvat had eight points (2-6-8).
    • He has registered 45 points in 66 games during the calendar year.
  • Nikita Tryamkin ranks t-15th in the NHL in hits per game (3.3).
  • Troy Stecher ranks 4th in rookie TOI/game with 21:00.
  • Brandon Sutter is 16th in the NHL with 208 faceoff wins; Bo Horvat is t-28th with 183 faceoff wins.
  • After going goalless through his first 13 games, Loui Eriksson has 5 goals in the last 9 games.
  • Michael Chaput leads the team with a 55.9 faceoff win percentage (min. 50 faceoffs).
    • Among players aged 24 years or younger in the NHL, Chaput also ranks second in faceoff win percentage (min. 50 faceoffs).
  • The Canucks penalty kill ranks t-6th at 85.2%. The Canucks have killed off 10 consecutive opposing power plays over the past 4 games.
  • The Canucks rank 6th with 701 total faceoff wins and rank t-5th with 571 even-strength faceoff wins.
    • Vancouver ranks t-8th in faceoff win percentage at 51.1%; in 2015.16, the Canucks’ 45.4% faceoff win percentage ranked 30th.
  • The Canucks are t-9th for the fewest shots allowed per game at 29.1.
  • 6 of the Canucks’ 9 victories this season have come either in OT (4-1 in OT games) or the shootout (2-1 in SO games).

Wild In Brief:

Minnesota have 25 points and are in 3rd place in the Central division, 6 points behind 1st place Chicago, with two games in hand; 1 point ahead Dallas; 3 points in front of Winnipeg.

In their last game,  the Wild lost in St. Louis 4-3 in a shootout at Scottrade Center on Saturday, in the first game of their 5 game road trip.

Mikko Koivu had a goal and an assist, Erik Haula scored, and Dubnyk made 35 saves for the Wild (11-7-3), who played the second of a back-to-back after a 6-2 home win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.

Wild have the best goaltending in the NHL, with Devan Dubnyk, and Darcy Kuemper, with a 1.94 GAA, and .937 SV%.

Dubnyk is 9-6-2, with a 1.66 GAA, and a .946 SV%. Kuemper is 4-1-0, with a 2.94 GAA, and a .908 SV%.

Minnesota leading scorers: Eric Staal (5-11=16 pts); Charlie Coyle (8-7=15 pts); Mikael Granlund (5-9=14 pts); Ryan Suter (4-10=14 pts); Nino Niederreiter (7-6=13 pts)

Wild injured: 

  • Christian Folin – 1 game (left knee – sprained MCL)
  • Zac Dalpe (IR) – 12 games (right knee surgery – lateral meniscus tear)
  • Victor Bartley (IR) – 21 games (torn triceps)

Total Man Games Lost: 63

Points streaks: 

  • JASON ZUCKER (0-3-3 / 3 Games); CHARLIE COYLE (3-1-4 / 3 Games); NINO NIEDERREITER (2-1-3 / 2 Games); ERIC STAAL (0-3-3 / 3 Games); MIKKO KOIVU (2-3-5 / 4 Games)

Minnesota special teams are:

  • 12 for 63: 19.0 percent on the power play overall (13th in the NHL)
  • 9 for 61: 85.2 percent on the penalty kill overall (t-6th in the NHL)

Wild have surrendered 41 goals (best in NHL), and have scored 58 goals (14th in NHL).

Wild Notables:

  • The Wild has a four-game point streak (2-0-2), tied for its longest of the season (3-0-1, Oct. 15-22), and sits third in the Central Division with an 11-7-3 record.
    • Minnesota leads the Western Conference and ranks third in the NHL with a plus-16 goal differential this season.
  • Minnesota has allowed an NHL-low 41 total goals in 21 games this season, including a total of 22 goals allowed in its last 15 games.
    • In those 15 games dating back to Oct. 25, the Wild has allowed just 14 even-strength goals, in addition to eight power-play goals.
  • Minnesota also leads the NHL in shutouts (4), SV% (.937) and goals against/game (1.95).
  • Minnesota is 4-1-0 in its last five games in Vancouver dating back to March 18, 2013, after posting 11 straight losses from March 3,
    2009.

    • The Wild is also 8-3-0 in its last 11 games overall against the Canucks, and with a 36-32-14 record all-time, Minnesota’s 86 points are its third-most against any NHL franchise.
  • The Wild plays its second contest of five straight road games Tuesday, beginning a four-game, 10-day Canadian road trip to visit
    Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto.

    • The Canadian trip comes after Minnesota played seven games in a 12-day span. The Wild is 4-4-3 on the road this season.
  • Devan Dubnyk leads all NHL goalies with four shutouts this season, ranking T-2nd in SV% (.946) and T-3rd in GAA (1.66).
    • He has allowed 18 total goals (10 at even-strength) in his last 13 games since Oct. 25, stopping 388-of-406 shots in that span to account for a
      .956 SV%, a 1.39 GAA and four shutouts.
    • Since Oct. 20, the 30-year-old has posted an 8-5-2 record, 1.47 GAA and .953 SV%.
    • Since his Wild debut on Jan. 15, 2015, Dubnyk is 68-41-10 with a 2.06 GAA, .928 SV% and 14 shutouts in 123 games – leading the NHL in
      games, shutouts, SV% and GAA, and ranking second in wins in that span amongst NHL goalies with at least 60 games played.
  • Charlie Coyle scored his team-leading eighth goal Saturday, and ranks T-1st in PPG (3) and second in points (15) and shots (51) this season. The 24-year-old has four points (3-1=4) in a current three-game point streak.
    • He set career highs in goals (21), points (42), shots (140), blocked shots (61) and TOI/game (17:18) last season.
  • Mikko Koivu registered a goal, assist, plus-2 rating and won 16-of-22 (72.7%) faceoffs Saturday. The Wild captain has a season best, four-game point streak (2-3=5), and is looking for his first five-game streak since he tallied eight points (1-7=8) in a seven-game stretch, Nov. 10-25, 2015.
    • He leads all Wild players with 40 points (11-29=40) in 52 career games against the Canucks.
    • This season, the 33-year-old has 11 points (4-7=11), including his 400th NHL assist, and leads the team in faceoffs taken, faceoff wins and faceoffs win percentage.
  • Eric Staal has a three-game assist streak (3) for the third time this season.
    • The 32-year-old leads the Wild in points (16), assists (11) and shots (60) this season, ranking T-3rd in goals (5).
    • With 797 NHL points (330 467=797) in 950 career games, he joins Daniel Sedin as two of four NHL players who have played at least 900 games while tallying at least 300 goals, 400 assists and 700 points since entering the NHL in 2003-04 (Iginla and Marleau).
  • Jonas Brodin has registered six points (1-5=6) in his last six games since Nov. 17 and ranks second amongst Wild defensemen with 10 points (2-8=10) this season, ranking T-1st on the Wild in GWG (2) and second in blocked shots (31).
    • The 23-year-old blueliner has already topped his assist and point total from last season (2-5=7 in 68 games).
  • Mikael Granlund ranks third on the Wild with nine assists this season, ranking T-3rd in goals (5) and points (14).
    • The 24-year-old has five points (1-4=5) in the last four games, eight points (3-5=8) in the last nine games and has tallied at least one point in 10 of the last 16 games, totaling 13 points (5-8=13) in that span dating back to Oct. 23.
    • Mikael is set to face his younger brother, Markus, for the fourth time in their NHL careers, the first since Markus was traded to the Canucks in February.
    • Mikael and the Wild went 3-0-0 against Markus and Calgary, meeting once a season from March 2014-Feb. 2016.
    • In the three head-to-head meetings between the brothers, Mikael has totaled three assists, a +1 rating, five shots and gone 19-of-35 (54.3%) in the faceoff circle, while Markus has totaled a goal and assist, an even rating, four shots and won 10-of-20 faceoffs.
    • Mikael is 1 year, 1 month and 21 days older than Markus, a span of 415 days.
  • Jason Zucker has registered three assists in a career-best, three-game assist streak. The 24-year-old is tied for the team lead with
    a plus-11 rating, having posed a negative rating in just one game this season (-1, Nov. 12).

    • He has totaled 10 points (2-8=10) this season, just two assists shy of his total in 71 games last year. Last season, he set career highs in games played, assists (10), PIM (20), shots (158), hits (83), blocked shots (33) and TOI/game (15:35).
  • Ryan Suter ranks second on the Wild with 18 points (3-15=18) in 41 career games against Vancouver. The alternate captain ranks second amongst all NHL players in TOI/game (27:34) and is T-4th amongst all NHL blueliners with a plus-11 rating this season, tied for the Wild lead.
    • The 31-year-old ranks second on the Wild with 10 assists and T-3rd with 14 points this season. He scored four goals in his first 14 games this season – a mark he reached in his 23rd game last season, ending the year matching his career high in goals (8) and setting career highs in assists (43) and points (51).
  • Jared Spurgeon celebrates his 27th birthday Tuesday. The blueliner leads the Wild in blocked shots (38) and ranks second on the club in TOI/game this season (23:40).
    • He ranks third on the team and ninth amongst all NHL defensemen with a plus-9 rating, posting a negative rating in just two games this season.
    • He’s totaled five points (1-4=5) in 17 games, missing four games with an upper-body injury in October.

VS MINNESOTA NOTES:

  • Henrik Sedin has 67 points (13-54-67) in 80 career games versus the Wild
  • Daniel Sedin has 63 points (22-41-63) in 77 career games versus Minnesota
  • Loui Eriksson is a point per game in his career versus the Wild (14-19-33 in 33 career games)
  • Loui Eriksson’s latest hat trick occurred on Nov. 19/15 vs MIN
  • Sven Baertschi notched his first career NHL goal on Mar. 11/12 at MIN
  • Alex Biega made his NHL debut and scored his first NHL goal (and game-winner), Feb. 16/15 vs MIN
  • Markus Granlund notched his first NHL point/assist on Mar. 3/14 at MIN
  • Philip Larsen notched both his first point/assist (Apr. 10/10) and first goal (Jan. 21/12) versus the Wild
  • Ryan Miller earned his first career NHL shutout on Jan. 14/03 vs MIN; he currently ranks t-8th among active goaltenders with 36 shutouts

Pregame Stats

Regular Season Game 23, Home Game 12

Records:
Minn: 11-7-3 (Road: 4-4-3)
Van: 9-11-2 (Home: 6-4-1)

Team    SF    SA     PP        PK     PIM    HITS   GF   GA
Minn      627  650    12-63    9-61     182       334       58     41
Van         647  641     8-64     9-61     246      428       47     65

Team        CF               CA           SCF          SCA       CF60%   CA60%   CF%
Minn     1177(901)   1186(951)  436(316)   394(305)    53.40        56.30      48.70
Van       1153(912)    1130(916)  468(353)  486(395)    53.30        53.60      49.90

Note: 5v5 stats in parenthesis for CF & CA, SCF & SCA ,                                                                CF60%, CA60% & CF% are 5v5
SCF=scoring chances for; SCA=scoring chances against.

Potential Canucks Lineup:

#22D. Sedin-#33H.Sedin-#20Sutter
#60Granlund-#45Chaput-#21Ericksson
#47Baertschi-#53Horvat-#14Burrows
#9Skille-#50Gaunce-#46Megna

#5Sbisa-#51Stecher
#27Hutton-#44Gudbranson
#88Tryamkin-#63Larsen

#30Miller
#25Markstrom

They Said It….

Vancouver looks to carry over momentum from a successful road trip as they begin a 3-game homestand without Alex Edler and Chris Tanev.