Canucks soar into 1st place and sink Wild’s hopes of big dance

The Sedin brothers hooked up in overtime last night to boost their Vancouver Canucks to the top of the Northwest division, with a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild.

The brothers reversed roles as it was Daniel skating through the middle of the slot sending a slick backpass through his legs to his brother on the left side of the net for the winner.

Pavol Demitra scored the other Canuck goal, while Captain Roberto Luongo made 33 saves for his 30^th win of the season. Vancouver has won 3 straight and 8 of 10. They now have 93 points on the season, one ahead of the idle Calgary Flames. They both have 6 games remaining, including a head to head tilt in Vancouver on April 7.

Marian Gaborik scored the loan marker for the Wild, who are 3 points shy of the final playoff spot with 5 games remaining on their schedule.

As of right now, it’s likely the Canucks will finish either third (by leading the NW division), fourth or fifth in the Western Conference. Finishing third will likely mean a matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets and fourth or fifth spot will probably mean a date with the Chicago Blackhawks.

While the standings would suggest the Hawks to be a tougher opponent, the recent performances by Chicago may suggest otherwise. The young Hawks have been struggling lately, while the Jackets have come on in recent weeks backstopped by their stellar rookie goaltender, Steve Mason.

Regardless of whom the Canucks end up facing, it is good right now to see them winning some intense playoff-type games on the road, showing they can win outside of GM Place. It’s best for them to focus on finishing as high in the standings as possible and improving their own game right now, rather than speculating who their first round opponent will be.