Gameday Preview: Vancouver Canucks @ Minnesota Wild

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Tonight is the second of six meetings between the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks as both teams come into the game riding winning streaks.

The Wild have won back-to-back one-goal games over the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, giving them their first winning streak of the season.  Meanwhile, the Canucks are winners of three of their last four and have won two straight.

In the first meeting between these bitter rivals the Wild drew blood first, but the Canucks peppered shots at goalie Niklas Backstrom and skated off with a 2-1 victory.  By comparison, Backstrom had to stop 37 shots while Roberto Luongo had to stop just 17.

Both teams are suffering through a rash of injuries as well.  Luongo remains sidelined with a broken rib, but he is on the five-game road trip with the Canucks and looks to be close to returning.  The ‘Nucks are also missing Jannick Hansen (hand), Daniel Sedin (foot), Ryan Johnson (upper body), Alexander Bolduc (upper body), Michael Grabner (foot) and Pavol Demitra (shoulder).  The Wild will be without the services of Kim Johnsson (upper body) and Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion).

Lineup(s)

I would expect to see much the same lineup for the Wild that they have been skating with the last two games.  The roster is finally starting to take shape and show some chemistry, and I think that Richards would be hard pressed to find an excuse that is not injury related to insert Benoit Pouliot back in the lineup—no matter how much he has improved.

For the Canucks, they will also be without the services of defenseman Shane O’Brien, who was suspended for his part in the recent incident with the New York Rangers.  No word on what the lineup will be for the Canucks but, like the Wild, they have been playing well and there probably won’t be too many shake-ups.

In nets, you can expect to see Backstrom for the Wild and Raycroft for the Canucks.

What to Watch For

This could be a physical game.  Scratch that.  This will be a physical game.

In the first match up of the season between these two teams, they tend to forget that they don’t like each other.

By game two?  They remember that they flat out hate each other.

One thing that has stood out in the Wild’s last two victories was their physicality.  Quite simply, they’re not as easy to push around as they have been in years past.

Everyone on the Wild has shown their own little bit of grit this season (with the exception of James “Charmin” Sheppard.)  This is a team whose identity has suddenly changed from last season and they are beginning to embrace it.

Keep an eye on the Wild’s second line.  Eric Belanger has centered Martin Havlat and Petr Sykora to perfection over the last two games, to the tune of two goals over that span, as well as three points in his last three games.

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