Weekend Losses Hinder Canucks' Chance At Division Crown.

Whoever said hockey is a game of peaks and valleys was probably referring to the Vancouver Canucks. Going into the weekend, where they had an opportunity to solidify their position atop the Northwest division, Vancouver ended up losing both games and entering the final week of the regular season with a 3 game skid. The skid began with a shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, then on Saturday a 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, and then last night at home to the Colorado Avalanche 4-1.

The Avalanche, led by the two goal effort of T.J. Galiardi (who?), surprised the Canucks at the garage. Everyone has been expecting Colorado to pack it in after losing yet another key player to injury. Leading scorer Ryan Smyth is the latest victim of the injury bug, out for the season with a broken hand. With the win, Colorado snaps their 8 game losing streak. It has been a tough season for the Avs, who find themselves in the Western Conference cellar.

Vancouver is still tied with the Calgary Flames in points, but the Flames have a game in hand and more wins than the Canucks. The head to head tilt Tuesday at the garage will definitely go a long way in determining which team will win the division crown.

To add insult to injury, the Chicago Blackhawks have now opened up a 3 point cushion on Vancouver for fourth spot. This makes winning the division even more important as it is now looking as though the Hawks will finish in fourth place and ahead of whoever does not win the Northwest. This would mean that either Calgary or Vancouver, whoever finishes second in the Northwest will start the playoffs on the road. Winning the division, on the other hand, would mean a guaranteed third place ranking in the conference and home ice to start the playoffs.

Vancouver was dominated by the lowly Avs from the beginning. They were up 4-0 before Pavol Demitra was finally able to solve Avs goalie Peter Budaj with just over 4 minutes remaining in the third.

The Canucks better get past the weekend and focus on Tuesday night…it could mean the division.