Five points of interest ahead of puck-drop:

1. The Canucks are back on the road, opening a four game trip in Minnesota. The last extended trip lasted seven games and Vancouver finished with a 1-4-2 record. This is the first of two big trips remaining in 2015 and after coach Desjardins admitted they needed to pick up points at home against New Jersey (given the schedule), the first step in recovering points arrives vs. the Wild who are the lone NHL team with just one loss at home; 8-1 overall.

2. If the Canucks are determined to be successful, they must not only aim for the early lead, but change how they play with it. Vancouver have broke out to a 1-0 first period lead on nine occasions this season. They have won under half of those games. At 4-1-4 when being the first team to score and build a 1-0 first period lead, it is evident too many have slipped away. Overall, the Canucks are 0-5-2 when trailing after the opening frame. While they intend to improve on that, tonight is almost a must, facing a Wild team who is 9-1-0 when scoring first and 6-0 when leading after the first period.

3. Bringing the goals against down is also a red flag issue for Desjardins team. While the Canucks lead their division in goals produced (63) and trail only Dallas (74) for the overall conference lead, they have allowed 60 goals against. Heading into Minnesota, the Canucks have played in 10 straight games where they have allowed three goals against or more to their opponents. In that same time frame Vancouver has managed a pair of wins.

4. Daniel Sedin is the NHL’s reigning second star of the week. The assistant captain put together an impressive stat line with five goals and seven points through four games. The 35 year old is now tied with the likes of Tavares, Turris, Backstrom and others, to lead their team with 10 goals. He enters Minnesota riding a five game point streak.

5. The top line has been very impressive. A trio comprised of Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin and Jannik Hansen have pulled a lot of weight. Starting with the first game of the last road trip (Buffalo), that line for Vancouver has generated 14 goals and 33 points over nine games. The remainder of the Canucks forwards combined and there are 12 (including Sutter/Shinkaruk) have created 10 goals and 22 points during the same time frame.

Game info: 4pm PST with @HockeyAbbs/@DTSN1040 TSN1040+Canucks Radio Network

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