Vancouver Canucks

After 15 years in the NHL, there’s a part of Matt Cooke’s game that he’d like to lose: his reputation for the rough stuff.

The Vancouver Canucks have fired coach Alain Vigneault on Wednesday.

Thanks to considerable help from Niklas Backstrom, the new-look Minnesota Wild continue to show that they're for real. Backstrom made 35 saves as Minnesota took sole possession of the Northwest Division lead by defeating the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 on Monday night.

Zach Parise cautioned against reading too much into the Minnesota Wild’s 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night. The Wild moved into a first-place tie with their Northwest Division rivals, and recorded their fifth straight game with a point.

Roberto Luongo made 25 saves, and the host Canucks beat the Wild 2-1 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight win.

Cory Schneider made 22 saves and Mason Raymond had a power-play goal and an assist in the second period to lead Vancouver past the sputtering Minnesota Wild 4-1 on Thursday night, the fourth straight win for the Canucks.