NHL: Who Will Win the Wild Northwest Division?

Fans love this time of the year, when divisional play begins in the NHL, where everyone plays teams in their own division from here on out.

Well, actually, there are those who will say, "I don't wanna watch the boring Minnesota Wild eight or nine times a year" if their team happens to hail from the Northwest Division, but these games go a long way in deciding playoff spots and positioning.

This scheduling system allows pretenders such as Edmonton, Washington, Florida, Buffalo, and Toronto, among others, to think they still have a shot.

After all, the Oilers, for instance, winners of 12 of their past 15, have vaulted back into the race, just three points out of a playoff spot despite all the season-ending injuries they've endured, albeit with time running out. Edmonton has only five games remaining and I would think Craig MacTavish's squad isn't going to make it.

Florida, which put together a quiet 8-0-1 to start out the month, is now on life support for both the Southeast Division and the Eastern Conference's eighth and final spot, but of course, hasn't been mathematically eliminated yet.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the standings, teams in the top eight are battling for seeding and want to head into the playoffs on a roll.

Teams like Dallas, Minnesota, Ottawa, and Boston have been struggling of late, which isn't really what the doctor ordered. In fact, the Bruins might not even make it, if their current slide continues.

Then there's the Northwest Division, where the Wild resides. Four teams--Minnesota, Calgary, Vancouver, and Colorado--all have a chance to win the division and vault to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.

Four points separate the four teams at the end of Tuesday's contests, with the Flames leading with 90 points, followed by the Wild (89), Canucks (86), and Avalanche (86).

The Wild, who had controlled their own destiny as recently as four days ago, won in Vancouver last Friday, but immediately blew their next two games in Alberta, dropping 5-4 and 5-3 decisions to Jerome Igina--ahem, I mean Calgary--and Edmonton, respectively.

It seems even now, anyone can win the wild Northwest.

If you had asked me ten days ago, I would have put money on the Avalanche, who had added Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote at the trading deadline. However, a four-game losing streak--which mercifully ended on Monday in a 2-0 victory over the Flames--has hampered Colorado's chances, as the Mile High City squad sits in the eighth spot in the Conference, with a monumental game coming Wednesday against the Canucks.

Ah yes, the Canucks.

I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Vancouver's latest setbacks.

Obviously, the Friday loss against Minnesota was fun, as the Wild's Niklas Backstrom outplayed Roberto Luongo, making 30 saves to keep his team in it. Backstrom made a brilliant stop on Canucks forward Brendan Morrison with his right pad in the third period before losing the shutout moments later.

Regardless, by that time, the Wild already had a 2-0 lead, and hung on to win 2-1.

Then Tuesday, in a pay-per-view game in the Vancouver market, the Canucks took on the Flames, and got burned.

I didn't get a chance to see it--why would I fork over $13 for the game when I don't even like the Canucks, and people have said the video quality of these PPV productions are brutal?--but surely enjoyed the outcome. Luckily there's still the trusty radio broadcast and TV highlights as well.

Markus Naslund and Daniel Sedin gave Vancouver a 2-0 lead with goals 12 seconds apart and outshot the Flames 21-7 in the opening stanza, seemingly ready to start an embarassing rout.

Mike Keenan's boys, however, who had lost 2-0 to Colorado a night earlier, woke up after the first intermission, and the Canucks suddenly lost their domination.

Calgary outshot Vancouver 33-13 the rest of the way, and rallied for three goals and a 3-2 victory in regulation.

Iginla, who could wind up as the Hart Trophy winner as league MVP, followed up his Saturday hat trick versus Minnesota with his 49th goal of the season in the second period.

The Flames then capitalized when the Canucks ran into major penalty trouble midway through the final period, taking three straight minors--and sixth consecutive overall. Daymond Langkow and Dion Phaneuf scored 41 ticks apart to give Calgary the lead that would not be relinquished.

Phaneuf's game-winner came with the Canucks caught on a line change, as the Flames' 2003 first-round draft pick blasted a rocket past the helpless Luongo.

The Canucks won't have time to lick their wounds, as they will be back in action less than 24 hours later.

The Canucks take on the Avalanche in Colorado Wednesday in a game that will be shown on TSN, while Minnesota looks to avenge Monday's loss at Edmonton when the Oilers pay a visit to Xcel Energy Center.

The winner of the Vancouver-Colorado contest takes over sole possession of seventh in the West—guess who I will be rooting for in that one?—with ninth-place Nashville still breathing down their necks. And the Wild could move back into first place in the Northwest with a victory and push the Oilers to the brink.

Who said these divisional games wouldn't be fun?