NHL Playoff Hunt: Running With the Pack in the Western Conference

The competition for a playoff spot in the NHL's Western Conference is a day to day exercise in upward and downward mobility.

Just eight points separate the 4-13 seeds in the conference.  Ten tens are battling for five spots by season's end.  One minute your team is looking at home ice, the next you are out in the cold.  All it takes is a couple of wins...or losses.

Let take a closer look at the teams looking to separate themselves from the pack out West.  Let's see who's rising and falling.  I'll also note the upcoming schedules, focusing on those all-important games each team has with the other members of the pack.

Nashville Predators

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 03: Kevin Klein #8 of the Nashville Predators skates during an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on February 3, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images

Pack Status: 28-18-7, 63 points, 4th in the West

The Predators beat Detroit 3-0 Saturday and seem to be the only team in the Central Division with hopes of catching the Red Wings.  The game broke a four game win-less skid and saw the return of Steve Sullivan to the lineup after missing 18 games.

Goalie Pekka Rinne has looked good since he came back in December, and coach Barry Trotz may just get his team home ice in the first round.

Games With The Pack: Six of their next 10, plus games with division leaders Dallas and Detroit.

San Jose Sharks

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LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 26: Kent Huskins #40, Dany Heatley #15 and Devin Setoguchi #16 of the San Jose line up in position prior to a defensive zone faceoff against the Los Angeles Kings during their NHL game at Staples Center on January 26, 2011 in Lo

Pack Status: 28-19-6, 62 points, 5th in the West

The Sharks have roared back into the Pacific Division picture, having tallied 15 points in their last eight games.  They have won three in a row, capped by road wins in Anaheim and Boston this week.

San Jose still has five games left on it's current road trip, but if Antti Niemi stays as hot as he's been since replacing the injured Antero Nittymaki, the Sharks can play their way to the three seed.

Games With The Pack: Four of the next 10.  They also have games with Pittsburgh and Detroit.

Anaheim Ducks

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 15: Goaltender Jonas Hiller #1 of the Anaheim Ducks in action during the NHL game against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena on January 15, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Ducks 6-2. (Photo by Christian P

Pack Status: 29-21-4, 62 points, 6th in the West

The Ducks are 11-4 dating back to December 28 and are also a possibility to win the Pacific Division (which Dallas now leads with 65 points).

Anaheim won't be at the Honda Center much in the next two weeks, and they may be using backup goalie Curtis McElhinney more frequently as Jonas Hiller hasbeen suffering from fatigue recently.

Corey Perry continues to post great numbers and had a hat trick on Saturday in a 3-0 win at Colorado, but the next two weeks will be big if they are to stay in their current position.

Games With The Pack: Five of the next 10.  Also, games with conference-leading Vancouver, as well as Detroit.

Phoenix Coyotes

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GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 02: Derek Morris #53 of the Phoenix Coyotes warms up before the NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Jobing.com Arena on February 2, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Pack Status: 26-19-9, 61 points, 7th in the West

The Coyotes have struggled lately, but a players-only meeting called by winger Shane Doan resulted in a 1-0 win over Minnesota Saturday.  The win snapped a two game skid.

Still, Phoenix has only won three of their last nine contests and are eyeing a tough road trip at the end of the month.  Getting Vernon Fiddler back in the lineup might help.

Games With The Pack: Five of their next 10.  They also have Dallas, Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay before the end of the month.

Los Angeles Kings

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LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 26: Dustin Brown #23 of the Los Angeles Kings skates against the San Jose Sharks during their NHL game at Staples Center on January 26, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. The Kings defeated the Sharks 3-2 in shootout overtime. (P

Pack Status: 29-22-2, 60 points, 8th in the West

The Kings are on the bottom of the Pacific Division but still very much alive for a spot in the playoffs.  They have raised their stock with 11 points in their last six games.

Los Angeles is in the middle of a ten-game road swing that includes five games against Eastern Conference opponents.  If the slump of January is behind them, they are still within striking distance of the other teams in their division.

Games With The Pack: Four of the next 10, plus a date with the Red Wings.

Minnesota Wild

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CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 25: Brent Burns #8 of the Minnesota Wild controls the puck against Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on January 25, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. The Wild defeated the Blackhawks 4-2. (Photo by Jonathan Dan

Pack Status: 27-20-5. 59 points, 9th in the West

Powered by wins in six of their last eight games, the Wild are on the doorstep of their first trip to the playoffs since 2007-08.

The team could see defenseman Marek Zidlicky return from a shoulder injury sometime this month, but may be without Matt Cullen for a few days. 

Games With The Pack: Five of the next 10, plus home games with Vancouver and Detroit.

Calgary Flames

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NASHVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 01: Jarome Iginla #12 and Alex Tanguay #40 of the Calgary Flames celebrate after a goal against the Nashville Predatorson February 1, 2011 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Image

Pack Status: 26-21-7, 59 points, 10th in the West

The Flames have come back to life over the last two weeks.  They dropped a 4-3 shootout loss to the Kings on Saturday.  Despite the ending of a six game win streak, they still managed to pick up a point.

The fire sale may be off for now, but if the club decides to part with some big names, Calgary could drop quickly.

Games With The Pack: Four of their next ten, plus games with division leaders Vancouver and Dallas.

Chicago Blackhawks

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VANCOUVER, CANADA - JANUARY 4: Jake Dowell #28 of the Chicago Blackhawks pins Christian Ehrhoff #5 of the Vancouver Canucks up against the end boards during the first period in NHL action on February 04, 2011 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia

Pack Status: 27-21-4, 58 points, 11th in the West

The defending champions have played well in bursts, but have sputtered when it comes to putting together a winning streak.  They split the first two games of their current road trip.

So far the win streaks enjoyed by the Sharks, Kings, Wild, and Flames have eluded the Blackhawks, and they are still looking for that run that move them up in the pack. 

Games With The Pack: Six of their next ten.  They also visit Dallas and host Pittsburgh before the end of the month.

Colorado Avalanche

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RALEIGH, NC - JANUARY 29: Keven Shattenkirk #8 and Matt Duchene #9 of the Colorado Avalanche during the Honda NHL SuperSkills competition part of 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend at the RBC Center on January 29, 2011 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Harry

Pack Status: 25-21-6, 56 points, 12th in the West

Their only win in the last six games came against St. Louis.  As luck would have it, the Avalanche's game at St. Louis on Tuesday was postponed.

Colorado is missing Tomas Fleischmann, who is out with a chest injury.  The organization announced yesterday that they have resigned Peter Forsberg.  Can his return turn things around for the Avs before the season slips away?

Games With The Pack: Eight of their next 10, including their next five opponents. 

Columbus Blue Jackets

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COLUMBUS, OH - FEBRUARY 05: RJ Umberger #18 of the Columbus Blue Jackets celebrates his third period goal with teammates while playing the Edmonton Oilers at Nationwide Arena on February 5, 2011 in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus won the game 4-3. (Photo by Gr

Pack Status: 25-22-5, 55 points, 13th in the West

The Blue Jackets are in danger of losing sight of the pack, but they have won two straight, including an impressive win in Detroit.  Columbus is 5-3-2 in their last ten.

Columbus is going to have to start winning immediately. The trade deadline is approaching quickly, and the organization may be inclined to move some players if they don't see a legitimate shot at getting to the post-season.

Games With The Pack: Seven of their next 10 games, plus stops in Dallas and Vancouver.