Who Do The 'Nucks Want In Round One?

How awesome was that game last night? After watching the entire TSN broadcast via Versus, I'm actually kind of glad that I don't have Center Ice to watch every single Canucks game. It's just too intense. With as good as this team has been, and as high as expectations are, this playoff season is going to be a wild ride.

Last night, following a 0-0 first period, Daniel Sedin turned it on, picked up two goals, and the Vannies road a solid effort from El Roberto en route to a thrilling 2-1 victory. This game really felt like a playoff game. It was intense from first puck drop to the final horn. Everything from the 'Nucks getting outplayed in the opening 20 to the thrilling finish was heart pumping.

Daniel Sedin flew in after spending time with his third baby, who was just born earlier in the week, and started us off 6:31 into the second. He tried to pass the puck across the crease to his brother, but the puck deflected off of Howard's leg and went into the net. Bingo. Midway through the third, Sedin sent off a perfect one timer from the top of the circle on the power play to beat Howard for the temporary 2 goal lead.

Roberto Luongo stood on his head in the game, making unbelievable stop after unbelievable stop. Jiri Hudler scored with 8:22 to go in the game on a rebound, and outside of that Lu was perfect. I thought it was interesting that the "Hockey Town" crowd was completely quiet until the Red Wings finally scored. Best fans in hockey? Give me a break. Bobby stopped 39 shots, and stepped it up even more once the Wings went up a man in the final minute with their goalie pulled. If there was ever a reason to have confidence in Roberto having a strong playoff run, this regular season has been it.

A couple of things stood out to me watching this game. First was the play of Ryan Kesler. He picked up an assist, but he really performed well in the faceoff circle. At one point he was 17 for 19, and that really helps to make up for the missing Manny Malhotra. Second was the play of Chris Higgins. Higgy played just over 16 minutes on the ice, and while he didn't get on the score sheet in any way, his play made a huge difference. I thought he looked like a somewhat trustworthy guy on the wing.

Finally, I'd like to point out the amazing thing that is getting pulled off by the Twins. Last season, Henrik Sedin proved to all the haters that he's an elite player, by winning the Art Ross and the Hart Memorial trophies. He led the league in points and finished as the NHL MVP. This season, Daniel and Henrik are sitting 1 and 2 in the race for the Art Ross. Daniel has 95 points after scoring his 40th goal last night, Henrik has 88, and third place (and fading) Stamkos sits on 86. Not only is it looking like the Canucks will have two straight Art Ross winners, but they are brothers, and more than that, they are Twins. Could you imagine if twins from the same baseball team led the MLB in homeruns in back to back years? Hopefully that gives some kind of indication of how crazy this is. And yet, no one is talking about it outside of Orca Nation. You may not want to admit it, but I feel like the Twins are making a strong case for being the two best players in the NHL, hands down.

At 48-17-9, the Orca have 105 points, which is good enough for a 10 point lead over said Wings in the West, and an 8 point lead over the Flyers as we race for our first President's Trophy. We're still talking about the President's Trophy with 8 games to go? Things could not be any cooler.

So, as the season winds down, and the Canucks look more and more like a team that is going to finish first in the West, it's time to start thinking about who the Canucks want to face in the opening round of the playoffs. Here's a run down of the most likely options to fill in that eighth spot.

4. Phoenix (91)
5. Chicago (88)
6. Los Angeles (88)
7. Nashville (88)
8. Anaheim (87)
9. Dallas (86)
10. Calgary (85)

Isn't it crazy that teams ranging from 4-10 all have a legit shot at finishing 8th? I mean, that's really crazy. Equally insane is that it's looking like the Canucks may be the ONLY Northwest team to make the playoffs, unless the Flamers pick it up at the end (however, they've played more games than anyone else in the NHL). Who would have guessed that in a year where the Vannies are putting together their best season in franchise history, the rest of our division are a complete joke?

First I'll start with who I don't want to face out of those seven aforementioned teams. 

Anaheim: I don't know why I fear them. Maybe it's because the only Canucks playoff game I've been to was when we got knocked out of the playoffs by the Ducks back in 2006 (if memory serves). Maybe it's because of their size. They seem like a big team that we would have trouble matching up with. It just seems like a tricky on.

Next, the teams I wouldn't mind facing.

Nashville: It feels like Shane O'Brien and the Preds have had our number this season, but actually it's been more equal than you might think. While the Preds seem to be a team that could shock us, I would feel pretty confident winning in 6.

Phoenix: They almost made my list of teams I don't want to face. You don't want to face a renegade team looking to make a deep run on possibly their final season in Glendale, Arizona. Could this team be so motivated by all their problems off the ice, that they can make a serious push prior to packing up for sunny Winnipeg? It's just a little scary.

Finally, the teams who I would prefer to finish eighth because it would either be an easy win or an awesome matchup.

Chicago: Bring it! I know there are some (okay, a lot) Vannie fans out there who don't want anything to do with the Blackhawks this postseason, but to me, it would be just what this team needs to show that they are serious about winning the whole thing this time around. Nothing better than having the greatest season in franchise history, vanquishing your most hated playoff rivals in the first round, and then rolling off that all the way to the first Stanley Cup win in team history. Nothing better. I'm getting excited just thinking about it. My friendship with Jon would go on hold, indeed.

Los Angeles: Been there, done that. I don't see anyway that LA could beat the Canucks in a seven game playoff series. If we faced them, and beat them again, we would become their Blackhawks. Plus, I'd have a (small) chance to snag tickets.

Dallas: Talk about a team that I'm not scared of. The Stars started out looking like an amazing top three team this season, only to crap out and now look like they're struggling to just make the top eight. We smoked Dallas over and over again, especially when the game was pumped up as a "big time event." They suck, and we'd crush them.

Calgary: This would be an awesome first round clash because a) we would crush the Flames (possibly in four games) and b) playing the rival Flamers in the opening round of the playoffs would be amazing. How exciting would it be to face our division rivals? Plus, it keeps the traveling light. Sadly, I don't see a chance that they'll make it.

So, that's what I think about our options. We're about 8 games away from finding out our answer. The fight to the finish continues tomorrow night against the Atlanta Thrashers (aka, the old Blackhawks). 

Death to Byfuglien, Ladd, and Kane! Evander Kane, that is.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē