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Sports

Wild seek to stay on track vs. Canucks

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Vancouver Canucks brought stability back to their goaltending position with the offseason signing of Ryan Miller.

The Minnesota Wild hope they have done the same with their in-season acquisition.

The Wild seek a third straight win on Sunday afternoon when they visit the Canucks.

Minnesota is seven points back of a wild card spot, but won for the fourth time in six games with Thursday's 1-0 blanking of the Calgary Flames. Devan Dubnyk made 30 saves for his third shutout of the season and 11th of his career.

Two of those shutouts have come since he was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes on Jan. 14 in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick. Dubnyk is 4-1-0 with the Wild, posting a 1.66 goals against average and .931 save percentage.

Zach Parise picked up Minnesota's lone goal, his sixth in as many games, and Thomas Vanek recorded his 300th career assist on the goal.

"I think we owe a lot to Dubnyk tonight. He bailed us out on a lot of different breakdowns we had. He was really good," Parise said.

Minnesota is concluding a four-game road trip today and Dubnyk is the likely starter. He is 6-6-3 lifetime versus the Canucks with a 2.51 GAA, .924 save percentage and three shutouts in 17 games (14 starts).

Vancouver is in the thick of the playoff race as it is tied for third in the Pacific Division with the Calgary Flames, three points behind the second-place San Jose Sharks.

The Canucks bested Miller's former Buffalo Sabres club 5-2 on Friday, with the netminder coming up with 20 saves as Vancouver snapped a two-game slide with its fourth victory in six contests.

It was Miller's first game versus the Sabres since they dealt him to the St. Louis Blues last season. He signed with the Canucks as a free agent this past offseason.

Vancouver had been shut out in each of its two previous home games, but found itself tied 1-1 after the first period before going ahead for good on second- period power-play goals by Yannick Weber and Nick Bonino.

"It seemed once we got those (goals), then we started to play better," said Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins.

Bo Horvat, Radim Vrbata and Chris Higgins also scored in the win, which came in the second contest of a six-game homestand.

Miller is 4-3-0 lifetime versus the Wild with a 2.46 GAA and .908 save percentage.

The Canucks have lost four of their past five against the Wild, including two straight in Vancouver following an 11-game series home win streak.