Minnesota will face the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night for the second time this season, hoping the matchup will put the Wild back into the win column.
Minnesota will continue a four-game road trip in Vancouver looking to rebound from a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Thursday night.
Yakov Trenin scored the Wild’s lone goal, and Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves as Minnesota had its 12-game points streak (10-0-2) snapped in the loss.
“It was the first time in a while I’ve seen us get outcompeted, get outskated, outexecuted,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “It wasn’t a good night for us. It’s hard to win when your compete level, your engagement, your execution isn’t close to what it needs to be. And that was the case tonight.”
Saturday will be the second of three meetings between the Canucks and Wild. Minnesota won 5-2 on Nov. 1, snapping a five-game losing streak (0-3-2).
The teams will conclude their season series on April 2 in Saint Paul, Minn.
Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild with 17 goals and 31 points through 28 games.
Gustavsson, Saturday’s likely starter, is 7-8-3 with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. In 11 career games against the Canucks, he is 6-3-1 with a .910 save percentage and a 2.45 GAA.
Minnesota travels to Vancouver with a 7-5-1 road record.
“We have two games left on this road trip, so we can’t hang our heads,” Wild defenseman Zach Bogosian said. “Get ready to work in Vancouver and get back to our game. Get back in the win column. We’ve strung together some good hockey as of late. We’re confident in the group, and we can’t let one game throw us off course, but also recognize where we can be better.”
The Wild will conclude their four-game, seven-day road trip on Monday in Seattle. Vancouver, meanwhile, will continue a four-game homestand following a 4-1 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Friday night.
Arshdeep Bains had the lone goal and Kevin Lankinen made 14 saves for the Canucks, who saw their winless skid stretched to four games (0-3-1). Vancouver has just one regulation win in its last eight (1-6-1) and is 3-8-1 on home ice.
“It’s tough. I think we definitely created a lot, enough to win the game,” the Canucks’ Elias Pettersson said. “Created a lot of chances, had some good looks.
“We believe we can win every game. Obviously, it hasn’t been looking good with the record, but we’re giving the effort every game, and it’s not bouncing our way.”
The Canucks four-game, seven-day homestand will include games against Detroit (Monday) and Buffalo (Thursday).
Kiefer Sherwood has a team-leading 12 goals through 27 games, while Pettersson has eight goals and 14 assists in 27 contests.
Nikita Tolopilo, who likely will be in the Canucks’ crease on Saturday, is 1-1-0 with a 3.56 GAA and an .892 save percentage in two games this season.
–Field Level Media
