The Vancouver Canucks are on the precipice of winning their first division title since the 2012-13 season. All they need is some help from one of the NHL’s bottom feeders.
For the Canucks to clinch the division tonight, the lowly San Jose Sharks need to beat the Edmonton Oilers. If the Oilers fail to get the maximum two points, then the Canucks will be locked into the division title.
The @Canucks are off Monday but could secure their first division title since 2012-13 when they claimed the last of five straight Northwest Division titles. #StanleyCup#NHLStats: https://t.co/X2F5cuM56t pic.twitter.com/TC5EGPr4jl
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 15, 2024
That is a tall task to ask for as the Sharks are in last place in the entire NHL with just 19 wins and 47 points in 80 games. They have split their two games against the Oilers so far this season. Tonight’s game starts at 6:30 pm PT in Edmonton.
Four Pacific Division teams have already booked their tickets to the playoffs. The only thing left to determine is the seeding, and the Oilers are the only team that has a chance at catching the Canucks for the top spot.
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The Canucks took a commanding lead after a big win on Saturday night. They are up on the Oilers by five points, although the chasing team does have one game in hand.
Because the Canucks own the tiebreaker between the two teams, the only way the Oilers can finish first is by winning their three remaining games while also having the Canucks lose both of their final games in regulation.
Pacific Division standings (NHL.com)
The winner of the division will play one of the two wild card teams. Which team exactly will be determined by their place in the overall conference standings, where everyone currently trails the Dallas Stars, who have 111 points in 81 games.
If the eventual Pacific Division champion passes the Stars, they will play against the second wild card team, but if the Stars keep their spot on top of the standings, the Pacific Division winner will play the better wild card team.
The Canucks do have the tiebreaker on the Stars, so if they finish with the same number of points, the Canadian team will take the top spot.
The team that finishes second place in the Pacific Division will face the Los Angeles Kings or Vegas Golden Knights, whichever manages to win the race for third place. As you can see in the photo above, the Kings have a one-point lead and both teams have two games left.
The Nashville Predators are one point away from clinching the top wild card spot and they have one game left against the Pittsburgh Penguins. If they lose in regulation, they risk getting surpassed by one of the Golden Knights or the Kings.
Western Conference Wild Card race (NHL.com)
With less than a week to go in the regular season, the Canucks playoff opponent is still up in the air. However, it’s looking like they have roughly a 75% chance of playing the Predators, according to several sports analytics sites.
The Canucks have never won the Pacific Division title. Their last time finishing atop their division came back in 2012-13 when they were a member of the Northwest Division alongside the Calgary Flames, Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, and Minnesota Wild. The very next season, the league re-aligned to create the modern Pacific Division that is enacted today.
The division leaders play their next game on Tuesday night against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena. If they don’t clinch tonight, a single point against the Flames will do the trick.