VANCOUVER CANUCKS AT MINNESOTA WILD

TODAY, 5PM, XCEL ENERGY CENTER

TV: SPORTSNET. RADIO: TEAM 1040.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – After sitting atop the Northwest Division most of the season, the Vancouver Canucks will find themselves with some company if they are unable to beat the Minnesota Wild tonight in regulation.

The Wild, coming off a 2-1 shootout win Saturday in Nashville, are just two points behind the reeling Canucks, who have dropped three straight and five of six (1-3-2). Minnesota is 4-0-1 in its last five at home but will be at a disadvantage tonight after travelling post-game Saturday and also enduring the switch to daylight savings time, hence losing another hour of rest. The Canucks have been here waiting for them and haven't played since Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to Columbus. In theory, the Wild should be a 'tired' team.

Canuck forward Alex Burrows wasn't sure how much stock to put into that theory.

“I like to believe sometimes it is an advantage but I also feel sometimes when you play the second game of a back-to-back, you're really into it right off the bat,” Burrows said after the Canucks held a very optional skate this morning. “You're not sleepwalking through the first five minutes, you're ready to go. So there are pros and cons. We have to make sure if we match that intensity early that hopefully, by the third period, we'll have more legs than they do.”

Burrows does expect the game to have more emotion than Thursday's clunker in Columbus where both teams were flat for the first two periods.

“This is going to be a playoff-type atmosphere here tonight in this building,” Burrows predicted. “We know these points are going to be huge and it should be a fun game to be a part of.”

The Canucks are expected to have one lineup change as defenceman Keith Ballard appears to have recovered from the charley horse he received last Tuesday. He skated Friday, practised all-out Saturday and was one of the few Canucks on the ice this morning. If he is in, Cam Barker will come out.

“Right now, it looks like Keith responded well to yesterday's practice and he's skating well this morning so, if it's the same tonight, he's going to be back in the lineup,” said Canuck head coach Alain Vigneault.

Cory Schneider will get the start in goal for the Canucks, his third straight. He is 6-3-0 in 10 appearances against the Wild with a 1.92 goals against average and .928 save percentage.

The Wild did not skate this morning so their starting goalie was not confirmed. Some reports suggested minor-league call-up Matt Hackett would face the Canucks after veteran Niklas Backstrom went the distance Saturday night in Nashville. Hackett has not appeared in an NHL game this season and is No. 4 on the Wild's depth chart behind Josh Harding and Darcy Kuemper, both of whom are sidelined. Hackett was 3-6-0 in 12 NHL appearances last season.

So far this year, the Canucks have already lost to the likes of Richard Bachman (Dallas), Jake Allen (St. Louis) and Danny Taylor (Calgary) so facing a minor-league callup or second-stringer doesn't guarantee anything.

Faceoffs could be an issue again tonight for the Canucks as the Wild enter the game at 53 per cent in the circle, tied for second best in the league. The Canucks, without Ryan Kesler and Manny Malhotra, have sunk to 22nd at 48.6 per cent.

“We're going to try and do our best,” Vigneault said when asked if he had any faceoff surprises for the Wild.

By the way, the Canucks downplayed a report they had an extraordinary players meeting Saturday at practice.

“It wasn't anything out of the ordinary,” explained Burows. “We talked a little bit. We have a lot of those kind of small meetings to talk about a few things. It was something really small.”

“It wasn't even five minutes,” added Daniel Sedin.

ICE CHIP: Wild defenceman Ryan Suter is on a six-game points streak (1-6-7)... Henrik Sedin has 55 career points against the Wild (9-46-55)... The Wild are 7-3-0 when scoring first while the Canucks are 8-2-4... Mikko Koivu leads the Wild in points with 19. Zach Parise leads in goals with nine... Referees for tonight's game are Paul Devorski and Chris Lee.

INJURIES: The Canucks will be without C Ryan Kesler (foot) and D Kevin Bieksa (groin)... The Wild are missing G Josh Harding (illness) and G Darcy Kuemper (lower body).

epap@vancouversun.com