Vancouver Canucks: 3 keys to victory over Minnesota Wild
The Canucks are back in action against a strong Minnesota Wild looking to maintain their hold on the 3rd spot in the central division.
A wise man once said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”. This eloquent, yet delectable phrase perfectly summarizes how the 2017-2018 season has gone for the Vancouver Canucks.
Some games have provided great optimism, leaving fans with dreams of a potential Stanley Cup parade down Robson street. Other games (like their most recent match against the Arizona Coyotes), leaves fan with a high degree of sadness that not even puppy therapy could cure.
The point I’m trying to make here is that you never know which Canucks team is going to show up.
It is why I am going to go out on a limb here and say the Canucks will win….big.
You might be wondering how on Earth I can make such a prediction after saying how unpredictable the Canucks are.
Well, nothing ignites the competitive flames like a humiliating defeat.
I guarantee you that each and every player in that locker room is embarrassed after the last game. At the end of the day, regardless of where in the process your team is, getting rocked like that is horrifying.
That’s why I strongly believe the Canucks are going to come out firing on all cylinders. They want to prove to everyone that the Coyotes game was a one off, and that they are not going to let Brock Boeser’s injury turn them into mud.
Look for Jake Virtanen to fly up and down the ice. Brendan Leipsic will try and get under people’s skin. The Sedin’s will have one of their best games of the year. From the top down, this team will come out swinging.
The Wild have just recently shown what it is like to come off a humiliating defeat. Three games ago they lost to the Colorado Avalanche 7-1. The next two games after that one, they have won both with a combined score of 10-3.
Leading the way is a resurgent Eric Staal, who has turned back the clock in a big way. With 36 goals in 67 games, Staal has good chance of matching or coming close to his career high of goals (45). He is a rather under the radar Hart Trophy candidate.
His supporting cast is not too shabby either. His teammate Jason Zucker is closing in on his first 30 goal season, while Ryan Suter has continued to be the Wild’s “Rock of Gibraltar” with stellar defensive play and relatively under the radar offensive ability (47 points in 67 games). Suter is three points shy of tying a career high.
Tonight’s game is not going to be easy for the Canucks to win. That’s why I thought I’d help them out a little, and list 3 ways they can win this game!
Intense forecheck
This may seem fairly obvious, but hear me out.
Ryan Suter is one of the most heavily used defenceman in the entire NHL. He is currently averaging over 26 minutes of ice time per game. That is absurd.
More from The Canuck Way
- Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
- What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
- Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
- Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
- 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg
The sheer amount of ice time will wear him down slowly, but the Canucks need to expedite that process by hitting him and hitting him often (we’re looking at you Jake Virtanen).
Every Canuck needs to finish their check on Suter when they have the chance. Even if it is a minor bump in the corner, the Canucks need to make retrieving pucks difficult for Suter.
By hitting him often, the Wild will play Suter less (not wanting to risk an injury), allowing the Canucks to get a more favourable match up for their top line.
Creating chances off shots
Again, fairly obvious, but highly important and often ignored.
Good teams take shots. Elite teams take smart shots.
A smart shot would be identifying that the goalie has covered most of the net, so instead of sniping it, you shoot it off the pad. This in turn generates a rebound for your teammate to try and bury. Too many times last game, the Canucks took shots right into the crest of the goalie, where no rebounds were generated.
With guys like Brendan Leipsic, Brandon Sutter and Darren Archibald, who have shown decent finishing ability in tight, the Canucks should be trying to generate more rebounds when there are low percentage chances.
If they can do that, I think it will help leaps in bounds.
Shut down Staal
As mentioned earlier, Eric Staal has been having a magical season.
He is a great example of player who can score in multiple ways. Not only does he have silky smooth dangles and a nice shot, he is also great at putting away rebounds. With his big frame, its also tough to move him or push him off the puck.
The Canucks need both Erik Gudbranson and Alex Edler to give him a rough time tonight. Alex Edler actually has experience in giving Staal a hard time. In the 2013 World Championship, Edler took out Staal’s knee with a dirty hit. Its tough for any player to forget an incident like that, so look for some fireworks between those two.
Next: Canucks top prospects of week 20: Stukel, Pettersson, Lind
But as a whole, the Canucks defence needs to key in on Staal and make sure that he does not get a clear shooting lane.