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2020 NHL Playoffs: Minnesota Wild vs Vancouver Canucks Odds & Series Pick

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Just one point separates the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference standings. If the playoffs occurred in their regular format, the Wild would be out with the Canucks tied for the final spot. Clearly, these are not exactly two of the top teams in the West. As both look to move forward and advance past the qualifying series, which side has the edge in this matchup?

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Minnesota Wild vs Vancouver Canucks

Odds (via FanDuel Sportsbook): Wild +112, Canucks -136

Wild Outlook

The Wild were mostly a mess in the 2019-20 season, but things started to turn around in the middle of January. While not enough to save head coach Bruce Boudreau from getting fired, the team went 15-7-1 in its final 23 contests after starting the year just 20-20-6.

A strength is their offense, which piled up 220 goals on the year. They have a fairly balanced attack with seven different players registering at least 30 points. The issue is they don’t have much elite scoring; Zach Parise leads the team with 25 goals, and Kevin Fiala is right behind him with 23. No one else has breached the 20-goal mark. This lack of top-end scoring is likely to expose them in the playoffs at some point. The only question is whether it will happen right away.

For the Wild to succeed, they simply much be better in net. Devan Dubnyk and Alex Stalock are among the league’s worst tandems, as they have posted a combined .900 save percentage. Minnesota has a great blue line and balance on offense, but unless their goalies play better, they won’t last long in the playoffs.

Canucks Outlook

The Canucks are one of the younger teams in the NHL and were supposed to be rebuilding this season, so the fact that they’re in the playoff conversation is a win. They have an excellent offense that’s poured in 228 goals this year, and they’re led by a top-six loaded with talent. Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Bo Horvat, Tanner Pearson, and Tyler Toffoli make this a dangerous unit. The question is whether they’ll deliver in what will be the first taste of playoff action for many of these youngsters. They’ll also have to break through one of the NHL’s better blue lines.

The Canucks should have an edge in net, where Jacob Markstrom has been respectable this season. However, he may have to stand on his head here, as the Canucks’ blue line is just so-so. For the Canucks to win, they will need to control puck possession, limit the Wild’s scoring chances, and create plenty of their own. It’ll help if they can find their way to power plays, where they boast one of the NHL’s best units (fourth overall).

Conclusion

The Wild have a strong blue line with Jared Spurgeon, Ryan Suter, Jonas Brodin, and Matt Dumba. In a playoff series, that’s going to be crucial. There’s some value here with them as a small underdog, especially given how well they played before the break. I’ll take a small flier with them.

Pick: Wild in 5

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Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.