The struggling Vancouver Canucks host the Minnesota Wild in what could be a season-defining matchup at Rogers Arena, with both teams desperately seeking to improve their playoff positioning.
While the Wild's stellar defense has been their saving grace - allowing just three goals in their last two victories - the Canucks' offensive woes continue to haunt them with a mere 2.74 goals per game average and only five wins in their last ten outings.
The Minnesota Wild (-122) look to extend their two-game winning streak against a Vancouver Canucks (+102) team that seems to have lost its early-season momentum.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild prediction: who will win?
For tonight's Vancouver Canucks vs Minnesota Wild matchup, our predictive model gives the Wild a 62% chance of defeating the Canucks.
Pre-game probabilities
Minnesota Wild
Moneyline
Win %
62%
38%
Vancouver Canucks
Minnesota Wild: 62% win probability
- Higher league position (5th in Western Conference vs Canucks' 9th)
- Superior goal differential (-2 vs Canucks' -18)
- Better recent form (WWLLL vs Canucks' WLLWL)
Vancouver Canucks: 38% win probability
- Poor defensive record (186 goals against in 61 games)
- Inconsistent scoring (168 goals in 61 games, bottom half of conference)
- Struggling win rate (28 wins in 61 games, 0.459 win percentage)
At Sporting Post, our unique prediction model combines insights from top NHL experts. Instead of sifting through hundreds of expert analyses across the web, you can rely on our predictions to understand the market's overall sentiment. We scan trusted sources, analyzing predictions, data, and opinions, and our AI assigns a confidence level to each prediction. We then average these levels to produce an 'expert opinion' win probability—reflecting the collective intelligence of the industry's leading NHL experts..
| Vancouver Canucks | Minnesota Wild | |
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline |
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild preview
The struggling Vancouver Canucks host the Minnesota Wild at Rogers Arena in what's shaping up to be a crucial matchup for both teams' playoff aspirations.
The Wild have found their groove lately, riding a two-game win streak despite missing star forward Kirill Kaprizov, with the dynamic duo of Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi picking up the slack by contributing a combined 104 points this season.
Vancouver's been hit-or-miss lately, winning just five of their last ten, but their blue-line quarterback Quinn Hughes has been a bright spot, anchoring the defense alongside Tyler Myers.
The goaltending battle should be fascinating - Filip Gustavsson's been rock-solid for Minnesota with a .914 save percentage, while Vancouver's Kevin Lankinen looks to build on his decent .904 save rate.
Minnesota's defense-first approach has been paying dividends, with young gun Brock Faber and veteran Jacob Middleton forming one of the league's most reliable shutdown pairs.
The Canucks' offense needs a spark - they're getting solid production from Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk, but they'll need more depth scoring to crack Minnesota's stingy defense that's allowed just three goals in their last two games.
Keep an eye on Wild newcomer Gustav Nyquist, who was brought in at the trade deadline to add some offensive punch to a team averaging under three goals per game.
This one's got all the makings of a classic Western Conference defensive battle, with both teams desperate to improve their positioning as the playoff race heats up.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild form
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild head to head
Vancouver Canucks
33%
Minnesota Wild
67%
Dec 4, 2024
Minnesota Wild
3 : 2
Vancouver Canucks
Feb 19, 2024
Minnesota Wild
10 : 7
Vancouver Canucks
Dec 16, 2023
Minnesota Wild
2 : 1
Vancouver Canucks
Dec 8, 2023
Vancouver Canucks
2 : 0
Minnesota Wild
Mar 3, 2023
Vancouver Canucks
1 : 2
Minnesota Wild
Dec 11, 2022
Vancouver Canucks
0 : 3
Minnesota Wild
