Tonight marks the third and final meeting between Vancouver and Minnesota this season: Oct. 26 (3-2 L), Mar. 24 (3-2 OT L), Apr. 21 (road).
The Canucks have a 47-34-5-10 all-time record against the Wild, including a 22-22-2-3 record on the road.
The Canucks are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games vs Minnesota (1-2-2 in their last 5).
Among active Canucks skaters, Brad Richardson leads the team in career scoring vs Minnesota with 17 points (7-10-17) in 44 games.
Jaroslav Halak has faced the Wild 14 times in his career (5-3-4), posting a .925 SV% and a 2.12 GAA.
Thatcher Demko has faced Minnesota twice in his career (0-1-1), owning a .909 SV% and a 3.02 GAA.'
Boeser's hometown:
Gotta shutdown their topdog Kaprizov.There’s no place like home and Canucks right-winger Brock Boeser has a special affection for his native Burnsville, Minn., about a 20-minute drive south of St. Paul’s Xcel Center. He scored his first NHL goal in his debut on March 25, 2017 to help fuel a 4-2 road win over the Wild. On Thursday, Boeser looks to build on five points (2-3) in his last two games after missing five with a hyper-extended right elbow. In a 4-3 shootout loss to Ottawa on Tuesday, the pending restricted free agent provided a 2-0 lead, set up the tying goal in the third period and finished with four shots and 11 attempts.
Hughes could pass Kearns this game in assists.