No. 10 Wild vs. No. 7 Canucks
10:45 p.m. ET; USA, NHL.TV, SN, FS-N, FS-WI
Minnesota leads best-of-5 series 1-0
The Minnesota Wild look to carry over their defensive dominance of the Vancouver Canucks into Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers on Tuesday.
The Wild are two wins from returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after failing to qualify last season for the first time since 2012. Goalie Alex Stalock made 28 saves to win his first NHL postseason game in five appearances Sunday, 3-0 in Game 1 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, the Western Conference hub city.
The Canucks haven't made the playoffs since 2015.
There hasn't been a best-of-5 series in the NHL since 1986; the League used them for the preliminary round of the playoffs from 1980-86. Teams that have lost the first two games are 1-55 winning a best-of-5 NHL series (1.8 percent; 1-39 when last used from 1980-86). The New York Islanders defeated the Washington Capitals in a 1985 series.
Here are 3 keys for Game 1:
1. Attention on Pettersson
The Wild contained Elias Pettersson in Game 1, whether it was defenseman Matt Dumba, forward Alex Galchenyuk or other members on defense.
One of Minnesota's top two pairs was on the ice against Pettersson for most of the opener, and the center was minus-1 with two shots on goal in 19:38. Pettersson, who won the Calder Trophy voted as the top rookie in the NHL last season, has scored 66 points in each of his first two regular seasons but said he knew an adjustment would be necessary.
"Of course, it's a bit more (physical than the regular season)," Pettersson said. "It's playoffs. Every battle matters. Everything matters. I was prepared for it. They play hard."
2. Power-play opportunities
The Wild went 2-for-4 on the power play in Game 1 with goals scored by forward Kevin Fiala, who led them with 54 points (23 goals, 31 assists) in regular season, and defenseman Jared Spurgeon (two goals, one assist in opener).
The Canucks, fourth in the NHL on the man-advantage during the regular season (24.2 percent), were 0-for-1 in Game 1. Minnesota blocked 15 shots and Vancouver coach Travis Green said too many of Vancouver's attempts came from the perimeter.
"Maybe get to the net a little bit more," Green said. "But they did a good job boxing us out. Would have been nice to get more than the two (power plays), for sure. ... There wasn't a goal scored 5-on-5. Special teams were a big factor in the game."
3. Potential lineup change
The Canucks' forward group is deep enough to offer some options for a lineup change.
Zack MacEwen, who emerged in the preseason, and Jake Virtanen (69 games) and Loui Eriksson (49 games), who were frequently in the lineup during the regular season, offer different elements compared to physical forward Micheal Ferland, who returned after a long injury absence in Game 1.
Wild projected lineup
Jordan Greenway -- Eric Staal -- Kevin Fiala
Zach Parise -- Joel Eriksson Ek -- Luke Kunin
Marcus Foligno -- Alex Galchenyuk -- Mats Zuccarello
Ryan Donato -- Mikko Koivu -- Ryan Hartman
Ryan Suter -- Jared Spurgeon
Jonas Brodin -- Matt Dumba
Alex Stalock
Scratched: Matt Bartkowski, Louie Belpedio, Luke Johnson, Kaapo Kahkonen, Gerald Mayhew, Brennan Menell, Victor Rask, Kyle Rau, Mat Robson, Nico Sturm
Unfit to play: Greg Pateryn
Canucks projected lineup
J.T. Miller -- Elias Pettersson -- Tyler Toffoli
Tanner Pearson -- Bo Horvat -- Brock Boeser
Antoine Roussel -- Adam Gaudette -- Micheal Ferland
Tyler Motte -- Jay Beagle -- Brandon Sutter
Quinn Hughes -- Christopher Tanev
Alexander Edler -- Troy Stecher
Oscar Fantenberg -- Tyler Myers
Scratched: Justin Bailey, Jordie Benn, Jalen Chatfield, Louis Domingue, Loui Eriksson, Tyler Graovac, Olli Juolevi, Zack MacEwen, Brogan Rafferty, Jake Virtanen
Unfit to play: Josh Leivo
Status report: The Wild are expected to dress the same 20 players they used in Game 1.
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