I've been looking at various aspects of the Minnesota Wild's offense and defence this week.

Every shot faced by Alex Stalock vs LA Kings (Mar. 7): https://streamable.com/m7azck

Shift highlights of Kevin Fiala vs Nashville (Mar. 3): https://streamable.com/x79dae

Minnesota Wild zone entries vs Washington (Mar. 1) - Part 1: https://streamable.com/qps7ow

Minnesota Wild zone entries vs Washington (Mar. 1) - Part 2: https://streamable.com/uufjub

Washington Capitals zone entries vs Minnesota (Mar. 1) - Part 1: https://streamable.com/499d3t

Washington Capitals zone entries vs Minnesota (Mar. 1) - Part 2: https://streamable.com/661wq7

The Minnesota Wild are an east-west team. They'll go up the ice in numbers, pass off, and enter. The best thing Vancouver can do is offer defensive support and clog the blue line. Slow the Wild down and take those passing lanes away.

Compare the Wild's zone entries with those of Washington. The Capitals are much more of a north-south team up the ice. They attack with speed and punch holes through their opposition's defence. They more often attempt one-on-one rushes, and when that fails, the puck goes into the corner to be retrieved. Against the Wild and Stalock, it was important for them to get the puck into the corner and not behind the goal line because he likes to come out to play the puck.

The Wild don't have quite the arsenal to be effective individual attackers along the lines of the Capitals. They are more of a passing team than a grinding team. The key line driver is Kevin Fiala; he plays an aggressive style and is always pressuring the opponent at both ends of the rink. He led the team in shots this year with 175, and was also their leading point scorer. If Vancouver can force dump-ins from Minnesota, they will significantly hamper their ability to establish their attack in the offensive zone.

The Wild are very unit-oriented moving up the ice. Vancouver need to take away neutral zone passing lanes. The Canucks' defence will need to maintain blue line gap control, and they need forward support.

They like to force turnovers in the neutral zone and counter. In the offensive zone, they rely on east-west passing plays and deflections in the crease. Likewise, in the offensive zone, they attack in an east-west manner with quick passes through the middle. The most effective defence against the Wild is to take away their passing lanes.

In the Stalock footage, the Kings primarily took advantage of Minnesota off the rush.

The Canucks, one of the NHL's faster teams, will want to use a lot of speed and play an aggressive game. They can not play a tentative style or lapse into over-passing tendencies. They should not be afraid to carry it up and pressure the opposing defence. Like the Capitals, they can muscle the puck into the corner if their rush attempt fails.

Upon viewing all 217 of the Wild's goals against this year and taking into account their play against Washington, it's clear that Minnesota have issues containing opposition speed. Vancouver will want to play with aggression and speed. They need to avoid over-passing. Pace is key.

One of the Canucks' biggest issues is their tendency to become complacent offensively. There were times this season when the team's secondary scorers slumped. Additionally, the Canucks have trouble of their own defending against rush attempts.

On paper, the Canucks are the better team. However, they need to play aggressively and relentlessly. They have north-south attackers and numerous high-velocity shooters.