Canucks vs. Wild Odds
| Wild Odds | -120 |
| Canucks Odds | +100 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 |
| Time | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Vancouver Canucks will return home to host the Wild, fresh off spoiling the Seattle Kraken's highly anticipated home opener with a 4-2 victory.
Minnesota will enter having been thoroughly outplayed Sunday at home by the Predators, falling 5-2 to break a season opening undefeated streak of four games.
Vancouver Canucks
The narrative entering the year for the Canucks was that the defense corps would likely be the biggest area of concern, and that offensively the group contained some sneaky upside along with a talented goaltending duo in Thatcher Demko and Jaroslav Halak.
For me that certainly appears to be accurate in the early going, and I think will prove to be true as the season rolls along. A number of defenders have had shaky games, yet Thatcher Demko has made the problem appear more manageable.
Tyler Myers continues to eat big minutes for the Canucks playing on the top pairing and has consistently shown to be a defensive liability while displaying poor decision making, en route to a 44.4 xGF. Behind him Luke Schenn has been notably shaky in a lesser role, and Quinn Hughes has shown offensive flair but been out-battled at times in the defensive zone.
Offensively there are some good signs as the Canucks have seen newcomer Connor Garland produce eight points in the first six contests skating with Bo Horvat and JT Miller. Brock Boeser has looked solid since his return to the lineup, posting a goal and an assist in two contests.
Jason Dickinson will likely remain out of the lineup for the Canucks, which could possibly draw talented rookie Vasily Podkolzin back into the lineup. Podkolzin has looked solid in the early going to my eye but is certainly not well-suited for playing down the lineup.
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota have followed up an excellent campaign last year with a very solid 4-1 start. Kirill Kaprizov has picked up right where left off, posting five points in five games alongside linemate Mats Zuccarello, who himself has managed six points.
Defensively, the Wild have looked solid altogether in the early going, specifically as a number of forwards are clearly excellent in their own zone led by top line center Joel Eriksson Ek.
However, the depth pieces brought in to replace Ryan Suter, Carson Soucy, and Brad Hunt have far from dominated, with Dmitry Kulikov, Alex Goligoski, and Jon Merrill all owning xGF% below 46.5%.
Cam Talbot has not dominated in the net either, posting a .904 save % and allowing -1.1 goals saved above expected across his first four games. I do not see Talbot being among the upper half of starters this year, and should Minnesota not insulate him very well again this season, I believe we will see him trend around those numbers as the season rolls along.
Wild vs. Canucks Pick
The Wild have generated a lot of chances in the early going, scoring 3.4 goals per game and the league's 10th highest xGF/60. I feel that they can create a good amount of looks against this Canucks defense corps and will likely post a reasonable goal total tomorrow night.
However, I like where the Canucks are trending offensively with the second line of Bo Horvat, Connor Garland, and JT Miller on a big roll and Brock Boeser returning to play on the top unit.
Cam Talbot figures to be average at best for me this season, so altogether I believe the best value lies in backing the over at 5.5. I am expecting Minnesota to control more of the play and would lean in that direction as a side as I will be watching where that price goes.
Pick: Over 5.5 (-110, play to -125)
