How the Canucks held off the Wild for crucial home victory: 3 takeaways

New York Times

08-03-2025

This is the team.
The Vancouver Canucks did very little during the NHL trade deadline, aside from subtracting Carson Soucy, who had fallen to sixth or seventh on the blue-line depth chart as a result of his inconsistent season. This is the group Vancouver will have as they chase down the final Stanley Cup playoff spot in the Western Conference.
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Declining to sell in a historic sellers' market is a significant risk, especially since the club recently dealt its best forward and entered a new transitional team-building phase. But the die is cast. The Rubicon has been crossed. For better or for worse, this team will have to pay that risk by picking up enough points to qualify for the postseason.
Vancouver was up to the task on Friday night. It wasn't a pretty win, and the Minnesota Wild generated scoring chances at will for much of the evening.
But the Canucks attacked sharply and with speed off of the rush, goaltended well, got a few key defensive sequences from their blue-liners and took chances to grind out a crucial 3-1 win over Minnesota.
Here are three takeaways from Vancouver's post-deadline victory over Minnesota.
Watching Pettersson turn back the clock on Friday evening and look for extended stretches like his old self was more meaningful than the result.
Nothing matters more for the Canucks than Pettersson rebuilding his confidence, clearing his mind and finding his effectiveness down the stretch. Whether the team makes the playoffs or not, the long-term success of this franchise hinges on how Pettersson performs.
On Wednesday night against the Anaheim Ducks, Pettersson played a solid two-way game, dominated in the face-off circle against the NHL's lowest face-off percentage team and appeared to make progress. Behind the scenes, the club has been impressed with his attitude, honesty and preparation this week.
Perhaps this is a player on the verge of turning the corner.
If Wednesday night was an appetizer, then Friday night felt like an undeniable return to form. This was closer to the assertive and dynamic version of Pettersson we've become familiar with, with the Canucks centre looking for his shot and threatening regularly off of the rush and in-zone.
On the power play, Pettersson scored with an absolute blast one-timer to spot Vancouver an early lead they needed, given the run of play on Friday night. It was a confidence-inspiring score from a player who hasn't looked this confident or dangerous in over 12 months:
86 mph 🚨 pic.twitter.com/1M251xVGsd
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) March 8, 2025
Though the Canucks were outshot with Pettersson on the ice at five-on-five, nor was it an apex Pettersson two-way performance, the Canucks star looked decisive with the puck and off of the rush. Like many of Vancouver's forwards, his actual performance was more dynamic than the underlying numbers suggest, in part because Vancouver was effective for large stretches of the game attacking with speed through the neutral zone.
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After the mid-way point of Friday night's game, the Wild grasped control.
At first it seemed like score effects, but the Canucks were hanging on even after the Wild levelled the score. Exceptional work from Kevin Lankinen, and some key defensive plays by Tyler Myers and Filip Hronek to save certain goals, permitted the Canucks to take two points on a night in which they could be fairly said to have been outplayed.
On Friday night, Lankinen made 3x saves and was the most important reason the Canucks were able to hold the Wild to just a singular goal scored — especially given that Minnesota's scoring was worth closer to three expected goals in all situations.
With Thatcher Demko's uncertain health status, the Canucks have some questions in goal. Lankinen has already set his career high in games played at the NHL level this season (and also made some high-intensity, emotional starts for Finland at the Four Nations Face-Off). Artūrs Šilovs has struggled enormously in his spot starts. And we have no way to handicap what the club can expect from Demko over the balance of the campaign.
On Friday night, Lankinen gave the Canucks exactly the performance they required. He got help from his defenders, but this was a game-stealing showing from Vancouver's netminder.
Missing Quinn Hughes' services has been a massive factor in the Canucks' struggles after the Four-Nations break. And Hronek's showing as this club's No. 1 defender has been uneven in Hughes' absence.
There have been nights when Hronek has excelled, nights where he's been only good and nights where he has outright struggled.
On Friday night against the Wild, Hronek was nothing short of immense. He made goal-saving defensive plays, played physical, effective defense, quarterbacked the Canucks' power play, contributed on the penalty kill and produced the clutch third period moment with an exceptional pass to Kiefer Sherwood to secure the game-winning goal for the Canucks.
Vancouver would not have come close to defeating the Wild on Friday night, and inching closer to a playoff spot, without Hronek's outstanding performance.
(Photo of Elias Pettersson: Bob Frid / Imagn Images)