ShareThisIt is a cliche, popularized by the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield, that professional sports teams don't receive enough respect from their peers, adversaries and critics.Never mind that in an era of parity, National Hockey League teams have a genuinely healthy respect for one another and that another well-worn bromide -- on any given Sunday -- may be the more appropriate saying, especially at it relates to the Western Conference playoff races.On Sunday, 10 of the 11 teams with even a trace of playoff hope all gained points in the standings -- all except the Calgary, who frittered away two opportunities to stay in the chase for first place in the Northwest Division and now must guard against falling out of the playoff picture entirely, what with three road games remaining against a trio of highly motivated opponents (Edmonton, Minnesota and Vancouver).Minnesota did itself the most good, winning against Colorado in overtime to open up a four-point lead on the Avalanche, a result that all but guarantees the Wild first place in the division and home-ice advantage in the opening round.Altogether, five teams have now clinched playoff spots in the West and if Minnesota looks as if it's the most vulnerable first-round opponent among the teams that figure to start at home, it is only because the alternatives are a) Anaheim, the defending Stanley Cup champions, locked in as the No. 4 seed; b) San Jose, the hottest teams in the NHL, with a 17-0-2 record in the past 19, the probable No. 2 seed; and c) Detroit, the soon-to-be-crowned President's Trophy winners, looming as the top seed.It was put to the Minnesota Wild's Pierre-Marc Bouchard last week that the majority of the lower-seeded Western Conference teams would rather play them than Anaheim, San Jose or Detroit.Bouchard, channeling his inner Rodney Dangerfield, answered: "I think every team has something to prove every year. I mean, if they'd rather play us, maybe they're not going to take us as seriously as they should. That might be an advantage for us. But I think for the eight teams that make the playoffs, every series is going to be a tough one."There is no arguing Bouchard's final observation. After Minnesota, Vancouver helped itself the most this weekend, snapping a four-game losing streak by burying the Flames and moving to within two points of seventh-place Calgary in the conference standings.The victory also clinched the season-series between the two clubs for Vancouver, which could be significant, given that it is the second tiebreaker after overall wins in determining playoff positioning. The Canucks finish the season with three more home games, including a return date with the Flames this coming Saturday which could well determine the final playoff berth.In effect, the Canucks -- who trail the Flames by two points at the moment -- have essentially caught them in the standings. If the gap remains at two points going into that final night, Vancouver can leapfrog the Flames with a win in regulation, because the tiebreaker will go in their favor.The wild card in the equation is the Nashville Predators, who technically remain outside the playoff picture at the moment, with 87 points, one behind Vancouver. However, the Predators play three games this week, all against Central Division opponents that are either out already (St. Louis twice, in a home-and-home series) or will be by the time their game rolls around (in Chicago on Friday).Nashville seems to have gotten its goaltending straightened around these past few games. Dan Ellis, the nominal back-up signed as a free agent last summer after seven years in the Dallas organization (and only one NHL appearance prior to this season, back before the lockout) had a 233-minute shutout streak end in overtime against the Red Wings Sunday. The Predators will finish their 82-game schedule by Friday already; and have a chance to run the table this week.If they earn the maximum six points, then it becomes increasingly likely that only one of the three Canadian teams will make the playoffs. Edmonton has made a heroic push of late, but the Oilers seem destined to run out of games (only two left). Given that Calgary finishes with three on the road -- Tuesday against the Oilers, Thursday against the Wild and then Saturday against Vancouver -- the Flames suddenly find themselves in a vulnerable position.The NHL came to Alberta in 1979, when Edmonton entered as part of the WHA merger. Calgary received its team the next year, when the Flames shifted north from Atlanta. In that time, there has never been a year in which both of the NHL's Alberta franchises missed the playoffs.Just how well the Flames regroup from their lost weekend will ultimately determine if that streak continues -- or comes to a bitter and unhappy end this year.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Teams search for respect in wild, wild west
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