The Heat is On

I don't think there has been a division in the history of the league that was as tight and evenly matched as the NHL's Northwest Division. As of this morning, here are the standings:

1 - Minnesota, 91 pts, 3rd in the conference
2 - Calgary, 90 pts, 5th in the conference
3 - Colorado, 88 pts, 7th in the conference
4 - Vancouver, 86 pts, 8th in the conference
5 - Edmonton, 83 pts, 10th in the conference

All of the teams have either four or five games remaining. The regular season ends on April 6th; between now and then, who knows how the standings in both the conference and the division could change. Keep in mind the leaders of each division get the top three spots in the conference, which also means home ice advantage in the first round. With mostly divisional games only left on the schedule, expect to see a lot of flip-flopping between these teams. Whoever finished eighth in the conference (the final playoff spot) will have a first round matchup with Detroit, who is 15-2-3 against Northwest divison teams this year. Ouch. Hopefully my beloved Avalanche don't have to play them, seeing how they scored only two goals against Detroit in four games this year. I'd like to see Colorado make a late push and overtake Minnesota for the third spot, because that will likely bring a first round matchup with Dallas, who Colorado has done fairly well against recently. As of now, they are facing a first round date with San Jose, who plays very tight defense and could cause problems for a Colorado team who tries to match their opponent's style of play rather than sticking to a consistent style. Stay tuned.