Northwest Division Top Two, Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild

The Vancouver Canucks and the Minnesota Wild will meet up Thursday night for an exciting battle between the two best teams in the Northwest Division. Although the Canucks hold a commanding 13-point lead over the Wild in the division, Minnesota desperately needs to pick up a win here in order to hold off the Phoenix Coyotes, a team that is attempting to overtake the Wild for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. Given the importance of this game, it should be a great opportunity for fans to do a little sports betting.

These two teams have already met four times this season, and the Canucks have won three of those games. In addition, with Roberto Luongo between the pipes, the Canucks have managed to shut out the Wild in each of the last two meetings. Given that the Wild have one of the worst offenses in the league – only the Los Angeles Kings have scored fewer goals than the Wild this season – there is a good chance that the Wild will find it very difficult to match the firepower of the Vancouver Canucks.

However, there are a few signs of hope for the Wild. Although the Canucks do have the best road record in the NHL, the Wild did defeat them in their one meeting at home this season; in fact, the Wild destroyed the Canucks 5-1 when Vancouver last came to town. Unfortunately for the Wild, that game was back in November, and the two teams have gone in very different directions since then.

Minnesota’s record over the past 10 games is 3-5-2, which is simply abysmal when compared to Vancouver’s seven wins. However, Minnesota should receive a much-needed boost when Mikko Koivu, who has missed the past eight games with a shoulder injury, returns to action against Vancouver on Thursday night. Despite his inactivity, he still has the second-highest point total on the team, and they will desperately need his help as they attempt to put some pucks in the back of the net.

Vancouver would seem to have a considerable advantage in this match-up, but there are some concerns for anyone looking at the NHL odds for this game. Henrik Sedin is currently nursing a minor ankle injury, and it is not known if he will play tonight. In addition, Luongo has not played well in the past on Minnesota’s home ice, and he may be fatigued from all the action that he has seen in recent games.

Regardless, Vancouver is the superior team, and they should not have too much difficulty in disposing of the Wild. There is probably some value in betting Vancouver as the favorite here at -140. For those bettors looking for some better odds, there may also be some value in the puck line bet, which is paying +200 for Vancouver. However, it should be noted that the Canucks have not defeated a team by more than one goal since January 4, which was the last time they played Minnesota.