Vancouver Canucks

A big advantage on special teams was the difference Tuesday night for the Minnesota Wild.

The Vancouver Canucks are at the point in the season where every loss could end their playoff hopes. Those hopes are still alive after a big road win over Minnesota.

The Minnesota Wild were concerned how the Olympic break might affect their momentum.

So far, no problem.

The NHL suspended Vancouver coach John Tortorella without pay for 15 days on Monday for his conduct after a brawl between the Canucks and the Calgary Flames.

Jason Pominville slipped a shot past Roberto Luongo’s glove in the third round of a shootout to lift the Minnesota Wild to a 3-2 victory over Vancouver on Tuesday, ending the Canucks’ winning streak at seven games.

After 15 years in the NHL, there’s a part of Matt Cooke’s game that he’d like to lose: his reputation for the rough stuff.

The Vancouver Canucks have fired coach Alain Vigneault on Wednesday.

Thanks to considerable help from Niklas Backstrom, the new-look Minnesota Wild continue to show that they're for real. Backstrom made 35 saves as Minnesota took sole possession of the Northwest Division lead by defeating the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 on Monday night.

Zach Parise cautioned against reading too much into the Minnesota Wild’s 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night. The Wild moved into a first-place tie with their Northwest Division rivals, and recorded their fifth straight game with a point.

Roberto Luongo made 25 saves, and the host Canucks beat the Wild 2-1 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight win.