The Minnesota Wild shut out the Vancouver Canucks 3-0 in the opening game of the teams’ best-of-five qualifying series in this year’s Stanley Cup tournament. Both of these clubs are trying to end postseason droughts – Minnesota hasn’t won a playoff series since 2015, which also happens to be the year of Vancouver’s last playoff appearance.

Wild vs. Canucks NHL Playoff Odds

In our game one preview, we said that this series would be a battle between the young Canucks offense and the stingy Wild defence. To call what transpired on Sunday night “a battle” would be a gross overstatement. The Wild’s defensive core made it impossible for the Canucks to get anything going throughout the three periods.

The Wild outshot Vancouver 30-27, while doing an excellent job of protecting Alex Stalock in their end. Vancouver managed just four shots on net in the final period and registered none on a late power play.

Minnesota is now 5-1 in their last 6 meetings with the Canucks. As of this writing, the Wild are -115 favorites to win Game 2 of this series on Tuesday night.

Minnesota Wild

Jared Spurgeon got two goals for the Wild in the shutout win, one of them an empty-netter.

“Forwards were coming back so we were able to have good gaps,” Spurgeon said. “When we did break down, Al was making those big saves. It’s all four lines, all six (defensemen) and goaltender that’s going to make us get through this, so tonight’s a good start.”

That good start included a goal from Kevin Fiala, who scored from the high slot just a few minutes into the first period. Before the COVID-19 shutdown, Fiala had become a scoring machine, and it’s clear that he hasn’t lost any steam from the long break. He was also quick to give props to his teammates, saying that his “team has done an unbelievable job to stay disciplined and stay with each other, to support each other. We won as a team.”

Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver Canucks fans waited five long years to see their team play in the postseason, but the club’s return to the playoffs was definitely not one for the books. The Canucks were counting on their speedy two forward lines to get some serious offence going, but they simply could not make it happen. Neither Bo Horvat, Tanner Pearson or Tyler Toffoli even registered a single shot on net. J.T. Miller, who was a high producer before the shutdown, had just two shots. If the Canucks want to win a game, they’re going to need much more production from their forwards; they need to avoid taking so many undisciplined penalties, and they must come up with a solution for the Wild’s seemingly impenetrable defense.

Vancouver goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who was playing his first playoff start ever, gave up two power-play goals in the 0-3 loss, while stopping 28 shots. After the game Markstrom expressed his disappointment with the performance, saying:

“It was not the start we wanted. And me personally, not the start as well, letting in those two goals. I felt good but those two goals, obviously, you want them back. Their goalie didn’t do any mistakes tonight and I did two, so we lost the game.”

NHL Playoffs: Who Will Win Wild vs. Canucks?

WILD

Away

3

CANUCKS

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