(Sports Network) - Vancouver getting its first road win of the season will have to wait for another day. A chance at revenge over Minnesota, however, comes Friday night.
The Canucks, who were pounded in Minnesota three nights ago, will try to extend a four-game home winning streak over the Wild tonight at Rogers Arena.
Vancouver is just 0-3-1 on the road this year following Wednesday's 2-1 shootout setback to Chicago. That loss also came just one day after the Wild handed the Canucks a 6-2 loss in Minnesota.
The Wild received goals from six different skaters in that game, getting paced with a goal and two assists from Marek Zidlicky.
Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo allowed all six goals on 18 shots and was lifted after the second period in favor of Cory Schneider. Luongo was much better versus the Blackhawks, making 31 saves in 65 minutes. He did struggle in the shootout, though, allowing all three Chicago skaters to score.
Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler did their best to extend the shootout with goals, but Mikael Samuelsson failed on his opportunity and Vancouver lost for the fourth time in five games (1-3-1).
"It's a tough league. Especially here on the road, you have to be able to win games, 1-0, 2-1," Sedin said." You're not going to score five, six goals every game. It was a step in the right direction."
Sedin scored in regulation and has at least one point in each of the Canucks' first seven games. He scored both goals against the Wild on Tuesday and is tied for the NHL lead with seven tallies.
Defenseman Dan Hamhuis missed his second game in a row due to a foot injury, while Keith Ballard sat out his third straight because of a concussion.
The Canucks were also playing without forward Rick Rypien, who was suspended indefinitely by the league earlier on Wednesday after he reached up and grabbed a fan on his way to the locker room in Minnesota.
Though winless on the road, Vancouver is 2-0-1 at home and begins a three-game residency this evening. Luongo has a 2.92 goals-against average overall this year, but has stopped 72-of-74 shots faced in two home starts.
Following Tuesday's win over Vancouver, Minnesota picked up a second straight victory last night with a 4-2 triumph in Edmonton. Kyle Brodziak scored twice in the first period and Guillaume Latendresse added a goal and an assist before Brent Burns sealed things with an empty-net tally.
"I don't think it was our best game. We had a few lulls in it," said Brodziak. "Hopefully we can learn from that, that even if your up 2-0 early you can't lay off the gas pedal because teams in this league are good enough to score two goals pretty fast."
Brodziak, who had just nine goals in 82 games last year, notched his fifth career two-goal game and first since Nov. 5, 2009 in helping the Wild win for the third time in four games since getting swept by Carolina in two games in Finland to begin the season.
Niklas Backstrom made 34 saves in the victory, but is expected to give way to Jose Theodore tonight. Theodore will be making his debut with the Wild and has won five of his last six starts versus the Canucks.
Minnesota has dropped four straight and five of six in Vancouver as well as six of the last nine in the series overall.