The bigger issue for Minnesota is the injury list. Filip Gustavsson (hip) is out at least another month, according to John Hynes, which leaves Wallstedt carrying the crease. Brock Faber is out indefinitely after surgery on a fractured skull, both Folignos are on IR, and Maxim Shabanov is out. That's a lot of missing forward grit and a top defenseman. Quinn Hughes is on the Minnesota blue line now, and The Hockey Writers' look at Vancouver's week billed this game as Hughes' return to Rogers Arena.
Vancouver's skid is ugly in a very specific way. Going into the Detroit game, the Canucks had been tied or leading after 2 periods in 4 straight games and lost all 4. Carolina was 3-3 heading into the 3rd and then scored 3 unanswered. Most of those losses came against playoff-caliber teams, which explains some of it but doesn't make it less painful. Then Detroit took away even the close finish, scoring 3 times in the 1st and outscoring Vancouver in every period of a 5-2 game. The Canucks are 2-9-1 and have lost 5 straight.
Thatcher Demko's hip is the reason Vancouver's goaltending is a live question. Henrik Sedin is hoping for a return before Christmas, and in the meantime the crease has been a Meriläinen-versus-Lankinen conversation. Vancouver gets 2 full days off at home before this one. Minnesota gets a flight from Seattle. That rest gap is about the only thing tilting toward the Canucks right now.
So it comes down to whether a banged-up Minnesota team with a leaky penalty kill and tired legs can beat a Vancouver team that keeps finding ways to lose 3rd periods. The board isn't open yet, and with the Wild playing Seattle first it shouldn't be. Saturday's result in Seattle and who starts in goal on the 2nd night will shape this game more than anything that's happened so far.