Tom Willander scored his first career goal, helping the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-2 win over the visiting Minnesota Wild in NHL action Saturday night at Rogers Arena.
Aatu Räty had a pair of goals and an assist to lead the offence for the Canucks (11-15-3), while defenceman Elias Pettersson had the other goal. Nikita Tolopilo made 27 saves to pick up the win in goal.
Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello scored for Minnesota (15-9-5). Jesper Wallstedt stopped 16 of 20 shots in the Wild net.
Boldy opened the scoring at 3:11 of the first period on the Wild’s first shot. Zuccarello came out of the penalty box and took a pass from Yakov Trenin, then found Boldy for a one-timer on a 2-on-1. Boldy has 11 goals in his last 15 games and 16 on the year.
Shots in the first period favoured the Wild, 10-4.
The Canucks responded with a big second period, taking a 3-1 lead on goals from Willander, defenceman Pettersson and Räty.
THE FIRST OF MANY FOR TOM WILLANDER
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— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 7, 2025
Willander scored at 9:29, ripping a shot from just above the right faceoff circle past Wallstedt. Willander added an assist on Pettersson’s first of the season, a floating point shot that found its way through traffic and behind Wallstedt at 11:46.
Räty tallied his second of the year at 15:12, beating Wallstedt on a 2-on-1 with Kiefer Sherwood. Räty also appeared to score another goal in the period when a puck went in off his skate, but it was disallowed.
Each team had six shots on goal in the middle frame.
Räty added his second of the game five minutes into the third, taking the puck from Wallstedt behind the Wild net and backhanding it into the empty goal. It was Räty’s second career two-goal game.
On a power play and with Wallstedt pulled in favour of an extra attacker, Minnesota pulled within 4-2 with 2:38 to play on Zuccarello’s second of the year, as he circled and fired a shot from the left circle that beat Tolopilo.
Vancouver hosts the Detroit Red Wings on Monday (7 p.m.).
NOTES: Vancouver centre Elias Pettersson left during the pre-game warmup and did not play in the game… Minnesota came into the game 12-2-2 in their last 16 games… Räty won 14 of 16 faceoffs… Each team had three power-play chances, with the Canucks going scoreless and the Wild scoring once.