Achi news desk-
The winner of the Western Conference was decided on Wednesday night and, with it, the Vancouver Canucks’ opponent in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Dallas Stars needed just one point to secure first in the West, preventing the Canucks from tying them in points in their final game of the regular season. A draw would have seen the Canucks move in first as they have the lead in regulation wins, which is the first game to tie the game.
The Stars faced the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night, who had already been eliminated from playoff contention. The Blues still had pride on the line, however, putting up a huge effort. The Blues took a 1-0 lead in the second period on a goal from Robert Thomas, but the Stars responded in the third with a goal from Mason Marchment.
With no further scoring in regulation, the Stars secured at least one point by taking the game to overtime. The Stars then added another unnecessary point by winning the game in the shootout.
That means the Canucks will finish second in the Western Conference behind the Stars regardless of the outcome of their game on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets. Accordingly, they will face the team in the first Wild Card spot in the first round of the playoffs: the Nashville Predators.
On paper, it seems like the ideal matchup for the Canucks, as they swept their three-game series against the Predators this season, outscoring them 13 to 6. They certainly seem like a better matchup than the Los Angeles Kings, who won three of their four meetings with the Canucks, or the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, who split their four games with the Canucks and will have Mark Stone. back for the playoffs.
However, the Predators will not be easy. Since their last meeting with the Canucks in December, the Predators have caught fire. They went on an 18-game point streak from mid-February to late March, going 15-0-3 in that span. They are a dangerous team with a Norris-candidate defender in Roman Josi, great depth forward, strong goaltending, and solid base numbers.
Of course, so do the Canucks, only more so.
They don’t just have a Norris defender; they have a likely Norris winner in Quinn Hughes. They don’t just have great forward depth; they have better top talent than the Predators as well as the likes of Conor Garland, Elias Lindholm, and Dakota Joshua on the third line. They don’t just have strong goals; they have Thatcher Demko.
As for underlying numbers, well…
OK, the Canucks and Predators are almost identical with the base numbers. Very similar, actually.
The one thing the Canucks have actually done better than the Predators is score on the chances they create. And prevent the other team from scoring on the chances they create. So, two things, really. Pretty important stuff, as things go.
The schedule for the Canucks’ first round has not yet been released, although it is expected to begin on Sunday, April 21 rather than Tuesday, April 23, as initially expected.
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