Minnesota Wild vs Vancouver Canucks Match Player Stats On Aug 02, 2020

Alex Stalock made 28 saves for the shutout victory and Jared Spurgeon collected three points as the Minnesota Wild recorded a 3-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 1 of their Western Conference qualifying round series on Sunday in Edmonton.

Game 1 was just Stalock's second playoff start and fifth overall postseason appearance of his nine-year NHL career. The Wild didn't reveal their starting goaltender until close to game time, leaving the Canucks guessing as to whether Stalock or the more playoff-tested Devan Dubnyk would be in net.

Spurgeon had two goals and an assist, setting a career best for points in a playoff game. The forward scored one of the Wild's two power-play goals as well as an empty-net goal in the final minute of play.

Minnesota held the edge in both special teams play and outshot Vancouver by a 31-28 margin. The Wild did a strong job of limiting the Canucks' high-powered offense, as Vancouver's six defensemen collected more shots (17) than the 12 forwards (11).

Eric Staal had two assists for the 10th multi-point playoff game of his career. The veteran forward has 48 points (20 goals, 28 assists) over 59 career playoff games.

Kevin Fiala gave Minnesota the early lead 2:50 into the game, just three seconds into the Wild's first power-play chance. Staal won a faceoff in the circle and quickly sent the puck back to Fiala, who blasted a wrist shot from the slot past Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom.

The long hiatus during the league shutdown didn't seem to cool off Fiala, who scored 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) over the Wild's final 18 games of the regular season.

Minnesota struck again on another power play 10:24 into the second period. Staal made a circle-to-circle pass to Spurgeon, who converted the shot to extend the Wild's lead.

Game 2 of the best-of-five series takes place Tuesday night in Edmonton, with the Canucks again serving as the designated home team.

--Field Level Media