Canucks luck? Dream season could result in nightmare playoff matchup
Have you had a look at the NHL standings lately? While Vancouver Canucks fans have gleefully seen their team near the top of the league all season, there is a worrying sight starting to emerge.
With just four weeks left in the regular season, the Canucks still rank first in the Pacific Division, as well as the Western Conference. But if the playoffs started tomorrow, they’d be playing the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in the first round.
It would be Canucks luck to get Vegas in the first round, wouldn’t it?
Vancouver has tallied 94 points in 69 games this season, putting the team on pace for 111 points after 82 games. That would equal the second-highest point total in franchise history.
The Canucks have finished first overall twice before, in 2010-11 and 2011-12. Their reward in 2011 was facing the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, and in 2012, they played the team that went on to win it all, the Los Angeles Kings.
So yes, it would be a cruel turn of events should the Canucks finish first and get the Golden Knights in Round 1.
Vegas isn’t assured of a playoff spot yet, but if they make it in, they’re a team nobody wants to face. Many people expect Mark Stone to return from injury in time for the postseason, just as trade deadline additions in Tomas Hertl, Anthony Mantha, and Noah Hanifin become comfortable in their new surroundings.
That helps explain why sports betting sites still view the Golden Knights as one of the Stanley Cup favourites, despite their precarious place in the standings.
A lot can happen between now and the end of the regular season, though. The Canucks could finish first in the division, but behind one of the Central Division teams (Winnipeg, Colorado, Dallas), which would likely see Vancouver play Nashville.
The possibility also remains that the Canucks could fall behind Edmonton and finish second in the Pacific Division. In that scenario, they would play Los Angeles or Vegas because the Golden Knights could still catch the Kings for third in the Pacific.
Facing Vegas or Edmonton are the nightmarish scenarios. So how about the dream scenario?
Imagine the Canucks finish first in the West, and Vegas misses the playoffs entirely. That would set up a series for Vancouver against Minnesota or St. Louis. While that’s a series the Canucks could still lose, they would at least be favoured to win.
Time will tell what the future holds, but I know what longtime Canucks fans are thinking. They’ve been conditioned to expect the worst.
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