NHL playoffs betting preview: Young Canucks face tough test in veteran Wild

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There seems to be a belief in hockey circles that young legs will be the least impacted by the NHL's long pause, while older players will take longer to get going.

That idea will be put to the test as the budding Vancouver Canucks take on a veteran Minnesota Wild squad in a best-of-five series.

The case for Vancouver

The Canucks are among the league's biggest beneficiaries from the pause in play. When the campaign was halted, they were on a 6-9-2 run, had just lost starting goalie Jacob Markstrom for the season, and were trending toward missing the playoffs altogether. This break afforded them a mental reset while allowing their prized asset to get back between the pipes.

With Markstrom, the Canucks have a massive edge over Minnesota in goal. The Swede is enjoying a career season with a .918 save percentage and 2.75 goals-against average. Playing for a new contract and going up against a Wild team that doesn't pack much scoring punch, a rested Markstrom will thrive.

That's not the only area where the Canucks have an edge. Led by Elias Pettersson - whose campaign was worthy of Hart consideration - Vancouver has the superior top six, as well as an advantage behind the bench (the Wild are being instructed by an interim coach) and a favorable mismatch on special teams, where the Canucks' fourth-ranked power play will face the Wild's 25th-ranked penalty kill.

The case for Minnesota

Vancouver's high-flying attack won't strike much fear into a Minnesota team that excels defensively. The Wild do a terrific job of suppressing high-danger shots and forcing opponents to the perimeter, reflected in their 2.07 expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) total this season - the lowest mark in the NHL. Their overall goals-against numbers weren't great, but that's down to Devan Dubnyk's struggles. Alex Stalock eventually took over as the regular starter and posted a .920 SV% from Jan. 16 on, with the Wild going 11-4-1 in his starts over that span.

While limiting goals against wasn't an issue for the Wild, scoring was. Minnesota ranked in the bottom third of a number of offensive categories but experienced a reversal of fortune over the second half following the emergence of Kevin Fiala. The 23-year-old came to life in February and ignited the Minnesota offense, posting 14 goals and 12 assists in the Wild's 18 games before the break. It's no coincidence that they averaged 3.5 goals per game over that span. For comparison, the Tampa Bay Lightning were the league's best offense this season, averaging exactly 3.5 goals per game.

If the Wild truly have the offense to match their typically dependable defense, the Canucks are in trouble. Also helping Minnesota's cause is a porous Vancouver defense that posted a 2.77 xGA/60 this season - third-worst in the NHL. The Wild play a fundamentally sound brand of hockey suited for the postseason, while the Canucks' defensive game plan is for Markstrom to bail them out. That's ... not ideal.

The pick

Minnesota Wild (+115)

Minnesota came a long way over the second half of the season thanks to Fiala's emergence, a more aggressive approach under interim head coach Dean Evason, and the steadiness of Stalock. Vancouver boasts plenty of firepower, but it's still a very green team that's a bit too unstructured in its approach, and that will cost the Canucks against the stingy, patient Wild.

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.