Canucks at Wild
THE STORY: The Vancouver Canucks are having trouble regaining their form. Although coach Alain Vigneault's club struggled to a 4-3 victory over woe-begotten Columbus on Saturday, the victory was only Vancouver's third in nine games. The Canucks will look to build some momentum Monday when they open a four-game road trip against the reeling Minnesota Wild, who have won only once in their last nine outings (1-7-1).
TV: 8 p.m., RS Pacific (Canucks), FS North (Wild)
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (43-20-8): Daniel Sedin, who netted a pair of power-play goals Saturday, has certainly feasted on the Wild this season. The talented Swede has collected three goals and seven assists to propel Vancouver to four victories in five matches. Goaltender Cory Schneider continued his solid season by improving to 9-1-1 in his last 11 decisions. Schneider may get another start Monday, considering he has won five of seven career starts versus the Wild. The Canucks trail the Western Conference-leading St. Louis Blues by six points.
ABOUT THE WILD (29-32-10): The wheels have long since come off for Mike Yeo's club, which squandered an early lead and was shut down by Brian Boucher and the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. Yeo had trouble masking his frustration after the 5-3 loss. "The message is pretty simple," he said. "We all have to hate losing a lot more than we do. You can never accept this. I don't care who we've got out of the lineup, you cannot accept this. ... We're in hell. It's not fun."
OVERTIME:
1. After missing two games because of a personal issue, Vancouver's Manny Malhotra traveled with the club and is expected to play versus the Wild.
2. Minnesota's Erik Christensen has three goals in as many games, but has failed to score in six career contests versus the Canucks.