Canucks Closing in on 4th Place and Division Lead

Wow, the times have changed in Vancouver (and I am not talking about the freakishly cold weather lately). Not too long ago it would take an extremely optimistic person to find anything positive about the Canucks. Now it seems that nothing can go wrong.

The Canucks extended their home winning streak last night to 10 games by beating the Dallas Stars 4-2. The win, which included a highlight reel goal by forward Ryan Kessler gave the Canucks 83 points with just 13 games remaining in the season.

A few weeks ago it was questionable whether or not the Canucks would even be able to see some postseason action this year.  Now not only is that looking like a foregone conclusion, but they are also starting to put some heat on the 4th place Hawks and the division leading Flames.

The Hawks currently sit tied with the Canucks with respect to points but by virtue of having a game in hand, the Hawks are technically ahead of  Vancouver at the moment.

The Flames, who have played the same number of games as the Canucks, currently sit 3 points ahead of the Canucks at the top of the Northwest division.

There would be multiple potential benefits for the Canucks if they can finish off the season in 4th or even 3rd place (each division leader is guaranteed a top 3 finish).  First of all, being ranked 3rd or 4th in the conference would guarantee home ice in the first round of the playoffs.  With the parity in the league right now and the tightness of the NHL playoffs, every advantage helps.

In addition, if they are able to get the division lead (3rd place in the conference), this would mean they would square off against the 6th place opponent, which may mean a slightly weaker opponent than who they would be facing if they finish 4th or 5th.  (likely the Chicago Blackhawks). 

Although the playoffs are a completely different brand of hockey, the Canucks could do themselves a big favour by finishing off the rest of the season strong and moving up the rankings.