Minnesota @ Vancouver preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 6, 2020 ) Vancouver 2, Minnesota 4

The combination of a rash of injuries as well as a golden opportunity likely forced the hand of Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning, who made the call to acquire Tyler Toffoli late Monday night. The Canucks hope the addition of the former 30-goal scorer pays immediate dividends on Wednesday when they host the Minnesota Wild.

Vancouver answered a sizzling 14-3-0 stretch with losses in five of its last seven contests (2-4-1) to fall one point out of first place in the top-heavy Pacific Division, prompting Benning to take action. "We want to be competitive," Benning said on Tuesday. "We wanted to show our players we can compete. We're in the pack to make the playoffs. We needed to add scoring." While the Canucks added a key cog, the Wild are adjusting to the departure of forward Jason Zucker (Pittsburgh) and the firing of head coach Bruce Boudreau over the last week. "We're comfortable with (interim coach Dean Evason)," Minnesota forward Marcus Foligno said following a 2-0 setback to San Jose on Saturday. "... It is what it is. In the situation that we're in, we're fighting for our lives and we're still in our minds a playoff team."

TIME: 10:30 p.m. ET. TV: FS North, FS Wisconsin, Sportsnet-Pacific

ABOUT THE WILD (27-24-7): Zach Parise, who leads Minnesota with 21 goals, scored in the Wild's 4-2 victory over Vancouver on Feb. 6 to boost his point total to 17 (12 goals, five assists) in 26 career meetings. Kevin Fiala scored and set up a goal in that contest, one of his fourth multi-point performances in a five-game stretch before being held off the scoresheet in consecutive outings. Captain Mikko Koivu, who has just two assists in his last 15 games overall, has recorded 47 points (13 goals, 34 assists) in 63 career encounters with the Canucks.

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (32-22-5): Elias Pettersson, who scored in Vancouver's 4-1 win over Minnesota on Jan. 12, boosted his team-leading totals in goals (24) and points (58) with his second-period tally in Sunday's 5-1 loss to Anaheim. The reigning Calder Trophy recipient and J.T. Miller (22 goals, 35 assists) were joined by Toffoli (18 goals, 16 assists) on the same line in Tuesday's practice. "I'm excited to be here, be in the race and to win some games. I'm very excited for this opportunity," said the 27-year-old Toffoli (18 goals, 16 assists), who recorded the first hat trick in an outdoor game in NHL history during Los Angeles' 3-1 victory over Colorado on Saturday.

OVERTIME

1. Benning announced that RW Brock Boeser will miss eight weeks with a rib cartilage fracture on Tuesday.

2. Minnesota boasts a 7-3-0 record in its last 10 games in Vancouver.

3. Canucks LWs Micheal Ferland (concussion-like symptoms) and Josh Leivo (fractured kneecap) will miss the remainder of the season, per Benning.

PREDICTION: Wild 3, Canucks 2