NHL Western Conference: Coyotes, 'Hawks, and Sharks Battle for Top Seeds

Just a few weeks ago, at the Olympic break, all eyes on hockey were tuned to two battles for position: the playoff races.

In the West, Calgary, Detroit, Anaheim, St. Louis, and Minnesota were all right on the brink of the bubble for the last playoff spot, while in the East, Boston, Montreal, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay, and Atlanta were all clambering for the eighth seed.

Now, just a mere 20 days later, not only have those battles been cut down to just two two-team fights for eighth place, but we've developed another fight for position that just keeps on opening eyes due to its unlikely trio of participants.

The Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, and Phoenix Coyotes reach basically all corners of the NHL's Western Conference geographical area, and they're just like that to each other.

The Sharks entered the season trying to finally reach the season where they could have success in the playoffs; their previous success in the first 82 games just kept falling apart in the postseason.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks came in with a young but very talented top line, looking to repeat their 2009 run to the Western Conference championship.

Lastly, in the desert, the lowly Phoenix Coyotes, who finished 14th out of 15 in the 2008-2009 season, were more concerned about what city their future was going to take them to.

And while all three of those teams are still in about the same mindset, they now find themselves all within two points of each other and all within grasp of the top seed in the Western Conference. As of Mar. 21, Chicago sits in first with 97 points, San Jose sits in second with 96 points, and Phoenix sits in fourth (because they're in the same division as the Sharks) with 95 points.

Only two total games remain between the three (PHX @ CHI Mar. 23, PHX @ SJ Apr. 10).

The three teams are also on the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of play as of late.

Phoenix recovered from a three-game losing streak on both ends of the Olympic Break and has now launched themselves on an eight-game victorious run with no end in sight. San Jose has dropped off a consistent 7-3-1 streak with four straight games without a point. And Chicago has stayed right about level in their latest stretch, earning 10 points in their last 10 games.

However, all three, despite their major differences, have used their players effectively to put them in the position they are today.

In Arizona, a quiet but productive coaching strategy (and some great trade deadline moves) to get balanced scoring throughout the lineup has paid off; the 'Yotes' highest scorer that's been with the team all season is Shane Doan with just 52 points, but they have 13 players with more than 25 points.

Meanwhile, the Sharks have used a deadly starting five, including Joe Thornton (82 points, +14), Patrick Marleau (74 points, +20) and Dany Heatley (74 points, +12), all of whom earned gold medals in the 2010 Winter Olympics with Team Canada, and powerful D-man Dan Boyle (49 points). Comparatively, though, San Jose only has eight players with more than 25 points.

And, last but not least, Chicago has maintained a strategy similar to the Sharks, using a great combination of a highly-praised top forward line including Patrick Kane (80 points, +18), Patrick Sharp (59, +21), and Jonathan Toews (59, +20), as well as All-Star defenseman Duncan Keith (64, +20). While the injury to Brian Campbell will hurt, the Hawks have great depth as well to keep putting goals up on the board.

So, as we go down the stretch, all eyes will be turned to this unusual but closely-matched trio of teams battling all spring for the top spot in the West. The Coyotes have 10 games remaining and the Sharks and Hawks have 11; however, despite their differences, all of them need to play to win, play with heart and fight, and play like they deserve to be the top team in the Western Conference.

This is the biggest stage in the world of hockey and the biggest month in the years of every NHL team. For these three franchises, the final month of this particular season is even bigger, because they're all right in the thick of a brutal, unpredictable race to the Day of Decision, when the seeds are set

The winner gets the top seed and a very winnable first-round matchup against, likely, hot-and-cold Calgary or inconsistent Detroit. And the loser? A first-round series against a very capable Colorado or Los Angeles squad.

One thing is certain, however: it'll be quite the fight to the finish.

Mark Jones is currently Bleacher Report's featured columnist for the Carolina Hurricanes. In his 19 months so far with the site, he has written over 175 articles and received over 115,000 total reads.

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