Canucks Creating Doubt in Wild

The Vancouver Canucks won another crucial contest, defeating the New York Islanders by a score of 5-2. The win brought Vancouver within three points of the St. Louis Blues final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

While the Canucks hunt down a playoff spot, it's the Minnesota Wild who should be worried. The Wild hold the first Wild Card spot in the West with 85 points. The Blues hold onto the second spot with 83 points, but they are the hottest team in the league. Their rapid ascension has them in good standing.

With the Canucks climbing, they are planting and growing doubt in the minds of the Wild locker room. Minnesota is already aware of how important every remaining game is, but their confidence is shrinking.

Because of this, the Wild are on thin ice. They've lost two straight and six of their last 10. The fall from top team in the Central Division to Wild Card squad is disappointing, but it's also possible the fall isn't over.

The Wild are struggling to produce offense without Kirill Kaprizov in the lineup. Their average goals per game as a team has fallen to 2.68, which ranks 27th in the NHL this season. Kaprizov's injury completely reversed this team's season outlook, and until he returns this team is unlikely to make any real noise.

Contrarily, the Canucks are getting healthy as the postseason nears. Captain Quinn Hughes recently returned from injury and has been outstanding. He has two goals and six points in the eight games since his return. Their star goalie, Thatcher Demko, is also back from injury and looks excellent. He's won each of his two starts since returning while looking healthy and rejuvenated.

It seems like every where the Wild look, the Canucks are there doing better. The Wild are faltering. The Canucks are ascending, The Wild are banged up and waiting for reinforcements. The Canucks have their full arsenal at their disposal and gearing up for a potential playoff run. It's enough to generate significant doubt in the Wild and their Stanley Cup Playoff hopes.