Early look · NHL 2026-27

Vancouver Canucks at Minnesota Wild: game preview

VancouverCanucks2026-27: 2-2-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 25-49-8 · 58 pts · 32ndat

MinnesotaWild2026-27: 2-0-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 46-24-12 · 104 pts · 7th

Puck drop26 Jan · 8:00 PM ET

VenueGrand Casino Arena

All-time meetings126 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Forty-six points apart last season

Vancouver finished last season 32nd in the league on 58 points. Minnesota finished 7th on 104.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 127

Across 126 completed games, Minnesota lead the head-to-head 65-46-15.

All-time record65-46-15Minnesota's record in the series

Meetings played126This is number 127

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Minnesota

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

2 Apr 2026VAN 2 – MIN 5——MIN

6 Dec 2025MIN 2 – VAN 4——VAN

1 Nov 2025VAN 2 – MIN 5——MIN

12 Apr 2025MIN 3 – VAN 2 OT——MIN

7 Mar 2025MIN 1 – VAN 3——VAN

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateVancouverMinnesota

1 Nov 20256-7-0 · 12 pts27th4-6-3 · 11 pts29th

6 Dec 202511-15-3 · 25 pts31st15-9-5 · 35 pts7th

2 Apr 202622-45-8 · 52 pts32nd42-21-12 · 96 pts7th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 1 Nov 2025, Vancouver were 27th in the league and Minnesota 29th. By 2 Apr 2026 it was 32nd and 7th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Minnesota out-attempted Vancouver 181 to 175

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Vancouver Canucks

175 att · 82 on goal · 8 G · 9.8%

Crease10 att · 2 G

Slot65 att · 3 G

Wing61 att · 2 G

Point31 att · 1 G

Neutral zone8 att · 0 G

Minnesota Wild

181 att · 97 on goal · 12 G · 12.4%

Crease17 att · 0 G

Slot63 att · 5 G

Wing66 att · 5 G

Point31 att · 0 G

Neutral zone4 att · 2 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Minnesota have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

VancouverMinnesota

2.44xG for per game3.01

3.15xG against per game2.83

43.6%xG share51.5%

+9.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.0

−5.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+3.5

This season: 4 games for Vancouver, 3 for Minnesota. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Vancouver

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2723.1%

Power play · 2025-2621.8% · 14th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2768.8%

Penalty kill · 2025-2671.5% · 32nd

Faceoffs · 2026-2749.3% · 112/227

Drawn · 2026-2713 (3.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Minnesota

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2736.4%

Power play · 2025-2625.2% · 3rd

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-27100.0%

Penalty kill · 2025-2679.8% · 16th

Faceoffs · 2026-2748.0% · 84/175

Drawn · 2026-2711 (3.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Vancouver

Expected starter after their game on 23 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Minnesota

Expected starter after their game on 25 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Vancouver crease

VAN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 23 Jan

Kevin Lankinen.8243 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx −6.4

Leevi Meriläinen.9432 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against Minnesota in the last meetings.

Minnesota crease

MIN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 23 Jan

Jesper Wallstedt.9333 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.5

No appearances against Vancouver in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

2 Apr 20267 · VAN 2–5 MIN

6 Dec 20256 · MIN 2–4 VAN

1 Nov 20257 · VAN 2–5 MIN

12 Apr 20255 · MIN 3–2 VAN

7 Mar 20254 · MIN 1–3 VAN

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Vancouver4.754.502.633.85

Minnesota3.001.673.322.93

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.5Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings5.8Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Vancouver · injuries

Akil ThomasUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Filip ChytilShoulderIRReturn8 Oct

Jack ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Mackenzie MacEachernUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Thatcher DemkoHipIRReturn21 Dec

Minnesota · injuries

Brock FaberSkullIRReturn15 Oct

Filip GustavssonHipIRReturn1 Nov

Nick FolignoUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

27 Sep · VAN

Placed G Nikita Tolopilo on waivers.

25 Sep · VAN

Claimed G Leevi Merilainen off waivers from Ottawa. Placed F Filip Chytil on injured reserve. Assigned F Braeden Cootes to Abbotsford (AHL).

24 Sep · VAN

Assigned Fs Ty Mueller, Riley Patterson, Ilya Safonov and Chase Wouters, Ds Kirill Kudryavtsev and Sawyer Mynio to Abbotsford (AHL). Loaned F Ben Berard and D Isaac Belliveau to Abbotsford. Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford F Trey Fix-Wolansky and Ds Cole Clayton and Jimmy Schuldt.

24 Sep · MIN

Waived for the purpose of assignment to Iowa (AHL) Ds Matt Kiersted, Carson Lambos, and Roman Schmidt and Fs Caedan Bankier, Dylan Gambrell, Justin Kirkland, Tyler Pitlick, and Mason Shaw. Assigned Ds Ben Dexheimer and Viking Gustafsson Nyberg and Fs Jagger Joshua, Hunter Haight, Riley Heidt, Rasmus Kumpulainen, and Rieger Lorenz to Iowa.

14 Jul 2026 · MIN

Signed G Filip Ruzicka to a three-year, entry-level contract.

13 Jul 2026 · MIN

Signed D Filip Ruzicka to a three-year contract.

Injury report

Vancouver · 2026 draft

See all: Vancouver · 2026 draft →

#3Caleb MalhotraRound 1 · BrantfordC

#24Adam NovotnyRound 1 · PeterboroughLW

#33Brooks RogowskiRound 2 · OshawaC

#41Niklas Aaram-OlsenRound 2 · Orebro Jr.LW

Full draft

Minnesota · 2026 draft

See all: Minnesota · 2026 draft →

#83Adam AnderssonRound 3 · Leksand Jr.C

#112Kayden LemireRound 4 · Prince GeorgeRW

#137Filip RuzickaRound 5 · BrandonG

Full draft

Tuesday 26 January · the full slate

See all: Tuesday 26 January · the full slate →

MINThis game 9:00 PM ET

EDMat

COL

Scores

Updated after every final

Vancouver Canucks at Minnesota Wild: game preview

Forty-six points apart last season

Meeting number 127

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Minnesota out-attempted Vancouver 181 to 175

Vancouver Canucks

Minnesota Wild

Minnesota have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Vancouver

Minnesota

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Vancouver crease

Minnesota crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

8 on the injury lists

Vancouver · injuries

Minnesota · injuries

Latest moves

Vancouver · 2026 draft

Minnesota · 2026 draft

Tuesday 26 January · the full slate