Vancouver Canucks vs. Detroit Red Wings - Who will take the Western Conference Title -NHL Special
With a little over a month remaining till the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are ready to kick off, teams are scrambling to grab any position above the postseason line which is within their reach, but there are some clubs who have it easy and
are rather focused on taking the top spot.
During last 2010-2011 NHL regular season, Vancouver Canucks had the honour of taking the Western Conference title by sitting at number one and have been doing so for quite some time as Detroit follows in their track.
But this time, something looks to be different as Detroit Red Wings have the first place position underneath them at the moment and do not look as if they will be giving it up anytime soon.
With a 39-17-2 record and 80 points, which is also the highest in the entire league, Detroit Red Wings have shown a major change not only in their style of play but their attitudes as well.
For Detroit, being one of the rebel teams that did what they wanted, when they wanted, the Red Wings have taken a much lighter attitude this time around as they hope to grab the Stanley Cup championship with their captain and one of the league’s top defenseman,
Nicklas Lidstrom, most likely up for retirement when it all comes to an end later on during the summer.
Being a player that has won four Stanley Cup trophies along with winning the Norris Trophy seven times in his profession, which has been entirely with the Detroit Red Wings, Nicklas Lidstrom is not one that needs more awards on his already star studded career.
But being extremely competitive, Lidstrom does not give up any chance at the championship and is certainly aiming for the win.
At the moment, Nicklas Lidstrom has played in 1,551 games and boasts a point record of 1,138 (263 goals, 875 assists).
Talking about the Vancouver Canucks, one thing that might be extraordinarily visible is their thirst for the Stanley Cup. Last season, Vancouver did have it and managed to reach game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals, but losing to Boston Bruins at home certainly
did not go well with their ego’s or the crowd.
They will definitely be one of the top teams contending the championship this time but it certainly cannot be said whether they will be able to have a repeat chance at the cup or not since a number of other teams also have their eyes focused on the prize.
With 78 points, Vancouver stands at number two at the moment with a 36-15-6 record and seeing that they have played one game less in comparison to Detroit, it could definitely mean all the difference at the end.
Comparing the two team’s performances so far in February, Vancouver has been more consistent than Detroit as they have won five of their last seven contests, including a loss against the Red Wings in a shootout.
Vancouver has a six-game road trip coming up, with one of the games being against Detroit Red Wings, it could surely be taken as a benchmark to which team might be able to cover the distance needed to grab the top spot.
Red Wings have the majority of their upcoming games at home and looking at their home streak so far in the 2011-2012 regular season, this will definitely be a positive point for them.
Prediction:
Detroit takes the top Western Conference spot by four points over Vancouver Canucks.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: