Wild vs. Canucks Recap: Boldy, Hughes and Eriksson Ek Cash

The Minnesota Wild beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 in regulation, and the game was mostly one-way traffic. Minnesota outshot Vancouver 34-17, built a 4-0 lead by 3:38 of the 3rd, and scored 2 power-play goals on 5 chances. Maxim Shabanov opened it on the power play late in the 1st, Bobby Brink and Quinn Hughes added goals in the 2nd, and Kirill Kaprizov made it 4-0 early in the 3rd. Vancouver answered twice in the 3rd through Max Sasson and Brock Boeser, but never got closer. Calvin Pickard made 15 saves on 17 shots for the Wild. Leevi Merilainen stopped 30 of 34 for the Canucks. Three DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game, all on Minnesota skaters.

What cashed

Matt Boldy 3+ shots on goal (-255 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Boldy came in with 3+ shots on goal in each of his last 5 games, 9 of his last 10 and 11 of 12 this season, averaging 4.6 shots. The volume was steady enough to take the price. - What happened: Boldy finished with 3 shots on goal, 1 assist and a +1 in 22:40 of ice time, 6:18 of it on the power play. That cleared the 2.5 line by 0.5. He also picked up the second assist on Shabanov's power-play goal at 18:33 of the 1st, the goal that started the scoring. - Worth watching: The margin was thin, but the role was not: more than 22 minutes and heavy power-play time keep the shot floor high. At -255 the price is steep, so it is a number to check before backing again.

Quinn Hughes 1+ assists (-200 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Hughes had an assist in 8 of his last 10 games and 10 of 12 this season while playing 22-31 minutes a night. That steady ice time was the base of the read. - What happened: Hughes logged a team-high 26:10, including 6:17 on the power play, and finished with 1 goal, 1 assist and 3 shots on goal. The assist that cashed it came at 3:38 of the 3rd, when he set up Kaprizov's backhand for a 4-0 lead. He cleared the 0.5 line by 0.5, and he scored a power-play goal of his own at 12:55 of the 2nd. - Worth watching: The minutes held right in the range our read expected, and he was in on the Wild's third and fourth goals. As long as he keeps that ice time and power-play role, assist props stay on the radar.

ALT: Joel Eriksson Ek 3+ shots on goal (-148 at FanDuel, -150 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Eriksson Ek had cleared 3+ shots on goal in 7 of his last 10 games and 16 of his last 20. The best price of -148 implied about 60%, against roughly 72% from his recent games, so we saw value on the number. - What happened: He put 5 shots on goal in 20:10, clearing the 2.5 line by 2.5, the most comfortable cash of the night. He also had the primary assist on Hughes' power-play goal at 12:55 of the 2nd, added 3 hits, went 6:17 on the power play and won 9 of 15 faceoffs. - Worth watching: This is the kind of gap between price and recent hit rate we look for. If his shot volume holds and the price stays near this range, it is worth another look.

How the game played out

Vancouver actually had the better of the shots in the 1st, 10-5, before Shabanov's power-play goal put Minnesota ahead. The 2nd period was the swing: the Wild outshot the Canucks 16-3. Brink's even-strength backhand at 5:54 made it 2-0, and Hughes scored on the power play at 12:55 to make it 3-0. Vancouver went to the box often, taking 12 penalty minutes to Minnesota's 4, and the Canucks had just 1 power-play chance of their own. Merilainen made 6 saves while his team was shorthanded, but the Wild still converted twice on the man advantage.

Trends to watch

• Minnesota's power-play group: Boldy, Hughes, Eriksson Ek, Kaprizov and Shabanov all logged at least 6:01 of power-play time, and both power-play goals ran through that group. Players who get that much man-advantage time are the ones we like for shots and points.
• Shot volume: The Wild doubled up the Canucks in shots, 34-17. When a team carries the puck like that, its top shooters have more room to clear shot lines.
• Hughes' workload: At 26:10 he was inside the 22-31 minute range from our read. Big minutes for a puck-moving defenseman are the base for assist props.

For more on the Wild's start, see Kaprizov and Hughes by the numbers. Stats are from the ESPN box score. New to these markets? Start with player props and alt lines, or see tonight's board on the NHL page.