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| Tonight is the first of three meetings in the last 10 games between these two. (Getty Images) |
The
10:30 ET, San Jose at Los Angeles
The NHL schedulemakers guessed right on this rivalry. Each team has 10 games left in their season, each has 82 points, one behind the eighth position in the Western Conference (and one back of the Pacific Division lead). Of those final 10, three of them come against each other, starting Tuesday night in L.A.
The Sharks ratcheted this game up a few notches on the excitement meter by coming out pretty flat on Monday and losing on home ice to the Ducks 5-3. All of a sudden they don't have all those games in hand on the other teams and they're still fighting for their playoff lives.
Before Monday the Sharks had won two games in a row, but both going beyond regulation. Before that you have to go back to Jan. 31-Feb. 2 to find the last time they won two consecutive games. No wonder they find themselves somewhat surprisingly here.
On the other side of the ice they're facing a team that finally is living up to its potential in the Kings . They are finally scoring and, imagine that, they're winning. L.A. has won four in a row and seven of the last nine. They have at least three goals in each of the last five games, that's a vast improvement on the inept offense they had before the acquisition of Jeff Carter.
8:30 ET, Phoenix at Dallas
And then there is this as the appetizer in the Pacific Division blood battle. The winner of this game, not the Sharks and Kings, will be the No. 3 seed as the Pacific leader at the end of the night. That's how crazy this division is, these two are tied at 83 points while the other two are tied at 82. And the NHL gave us both matchups in one night? Bless you indeed, schedulemakers.
This is what a two-game slide can get you in a race as tight as this one in the Pacific/West. The Stars had opened up a somewhat comfortable lead on the rest of the division to the point that you kind of forgot about them, thinking they had a playoff spot coming their way. Back-to-back losses change that perception pretty quickly and now we're back to the tie we're in.
For the Coyotes the battle of late has been consistency. After the great February they opened March with five straight losses before snapping it. Since they have alternated wins and losses. That's not the way to get it done in a playoff push.
It might feel like the undercard to the San Jose-L.A. tilt, but I'd say classify it as such at your own risk.
9 ET, Calgary at Colorado
Oh this is just great, NHL. The only way this trio of Western Conference matchups could be better is if it game on the final day of the season instead of with a little less than three weeks left.
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Obviously neither of these teams are in the Pacific battle, but they are in the thick of the race for eighth. The story remains the same for the Avalanche as long as they have played more games than the rest, they have to keep winning. It's amazing how quickly those leads can disappear when you don't play, especially with so many teams vying for the few spots.
That's what they've been doing in the last month, too. They have won four of the last five, picking up points in all of those games. Right now they aren't fazed by a whole lot it seems, the only question is if they're going to run out of games.
The Flames have to keep pace for another reason, the usual reason. Because they're behind. The Flames are in 11th place but only two points behind the eighth-place Avs (and seventh-place Coyotes). So the point is this is kind of a big game as well.
You win Tuesday night, Western Conference.
Others worth watching
7 ET, Winnipeg at Pittsburgh: The Jets enter the night in a four-point hole behind the Capitals in the East (and two behind the Sabres) with this being one of their games in hand they need to cash in. In Pittsburgh. Well, they'll have to earn it, to be sure.
7 ET, Florida at Philadelphia: Can the Panthers actually win five straight games? Considering they are 0 for 3 against the Flyers this season including a 5-0 loss in Philly earlier this month, probably not. If not, the division lead stays at three points.
7:30 ET, New Jersey at Ottawa: This is an interesting game as far as seeding is concerned. This is the battle for sixth place and you better believe that's the seed everybody in the East is coveting outside No. 1, it means a matchup with the Southeast winner. For now the Devils have it, the Sens want it.
Your promised miscellany
- Monday's Winners & Losers
- A little fall out from last night's three-fight start to Devils-Rangers, Peter DeBoer had some words for John Tortorella afterward. (Ranger Rants)
- OMG! OMG! Alex Radulov is actually flying to the States to join Nashville! (@Radul22)
- Another Masterton nomination rolls in as the Panthers' nominee is Tomas Fleischmann. (Panthers team site)
- With the You Can Play campaign for equality in hockey regardless of sexual orientation on going, this was a fitting scene over the weekend in Ottawa, even it was between a Leafs fan and Sens fan. Great scene. (Puck Daddy)
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