NHL Northwest Division: Minnesota or Vancouver?

As the 2006/2007 season winds down, I haven't quite forgotten how I thought this season would end: that Vancouver would be where Edmonton is (all but mathematically out). Nor have I forgotten the tension of where Calgary is (a little like where Vancouver was this time last year), playing for their lives, with no assurance that they won't stave off Colorado's late run on eighth in the west.

Who would have thought that the Northwest division title would be within Vancouver's grasp? And so it is, almost. Last night Vancouver used their game-in-hand on Minnesota the way all such games should be used: advantageously, with an outright win. But looking at the rest of Minnesota's schedule and comparing it to the rest of Vancouver's, I think the division title is a dream that will fade away. Minnesota has shown all year that they can beat the teams on ice that paper says they should be able to beat. Hence with all but one date at home, and all but one date against bottom-feeders, their chance of closing out with nothing but wins is relatively high. Vancouver, on the other hand, faces almost nobody but playoff contenders and mixes things up with home and away dates.

Still, not having home advantage might not matter. Since Christmas, of all the teams they might face in the western playoffs, they have beaten all the teams they've met at least once. The last of these is tomorrow night's test when Nashville comes calling. That will be more likely to show how Vancouver stacks up against all the power teams in the west (and actually, I think Nashville and Detroit have better records than they should since they've been playing so many games against Columbus, Chicago and St. Louis).

If the Canucks are burning, we'll have an entertaining spring. If they burn out, there's still the WHL Giants who should at least make it to the Conference final, probably against Everett: two former NHL coaches (Hay and Constantine) playing kids with more passion and skill than either money or cunning/cynicism. Now that's entertaining hockey. Still more, stay tuned for the Memorial Cup -- even if the local big-leaguers disappoint, the local kids almost certainly won't.