The Pacific division has long been respected for its parity as we frequently see the West coast dwellers in a very tight race for the divisional crown and a number of its inhabitants securing playoff berths as we saw last year where 4 out of 5 teams made it to the second season for the chance to represent the West int he Stanley Cup finals. This season has been no different and with the sudden resurgence of the Phoenix Coyotes who have won 5 in a row now locked in on the 8th and final spot out West the Pacific is getting well presented once again. However, the Coyotes face a stiff test tonight as they travel to Vancouver to take on the Canucks who will be looking to regain form after a shootout loss in Calgary on Saturday night.

The Coyotes as mentioned have won 5 in a row and have taken down some respectable competition in the process and as such have skyrocketed up the Western Conference standings and find themselves back in the playoff picture with 62 points. Phoenix has seen an offensive rejuvenation from their veteran leaders Shane Doan and Ray Whitney and with a playoff berth a possibility we could see the Coyotes become buyers at the trade deadline as they try to make a push at winning the Cup before the offseason turmoil of a possible relocation takes over the headlines. Vancouver is a very strong team and match up well against Phoenix so they will have to be on their A-game here if they want to continue their winning streak.

The Canucks will be looking to get back in the win column as their valiant come back efforts were cut short in Calgary on Saturday as the Flames salvaged the win and gained a critical second point in their Northwest division battle at the Saddledome. The health of Henrik Sedin is still a concern as the Canucks superstar is suffering from an injured hand but the offensive depth of the Canucks should be able to pick up the slack if Sedin can't play at 100% moving forward. Defensively the Canucks will need top be sharp as the Coyotes are playing with a lot of confidence at the moment and they will have to get pucks on Mike Smith who despite playing well this season is still susceptible to shaky play in the crease as he hasn't been a full time starter for very long. Vancouver as mentioned matches up well here and coming off a loss I have to think the Canucks bounce back and leave this one without a doubt with two huge points.