Pacific Division Champions for the Canucks!

For the first time ever, the Vancouver Canucks are the winners of the Pacific Division. A ten year drought comes to an end, with the Canucks winning their division for the first time since 2012-2013, when they were champions of the Northwest Division for their fifth straight season. Some of the notable members from that team include the Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Alex Burrows, Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo, and Dan Hamhuis.

“We are very happy with winning the first Pacific division title in KPHL, and are going to celebrate this achievement of our hard work,” in a message from the Non-Canuck Canucks GM. “However, we are just getting started with our trophy season, and are focused on achieving our next target, which is the President’s Trophy.”

These are strong words from the GM, but this may be a steppingstone in what is shaping up to be a special season for the Canucks. They currently have 110 points, and are just three points back of the Winnipeg Jets for the presidents trophy and the number one seed in the Western Conference. They do have a game in hand on the Jets, but only have five games remaining to tie or pass them.

These Canucks are a very talented team and have been successful thanks to a very balanced team. They have high scoring capabilities, with 259 goals just 2 behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the most goals scored in the KPHL. Their defense has also been very strong as of late, with 192 goals allowed being the 4th best mark in the KPHL, behind the Jets, Maple Leafs, and Rangers. Thatcher Demko and James Reimer have been very strong this season, with a combined .928 save percentage.

Demko also has 2 goals scored and 7 assists this season, having as many points as Nick Schmaltz since he became a Canuck. So far, the trade acquisitions of the Non-Canuck Canucks GM have not paid off, with Paul Statsny also only having 4 points since his acquisition.

The Canucks have been very solid for most of the season, with only one or two stretches of a couple losses. There have not been many teams that have had the Canucks number, being only winless against the Penguins, Hurricanes and Blues this season.  The Blues are one of the teams that the Canucks could be facing in the first round, a concern to Canucks fans everywhere.

As the Canucks look towards the playoffs, there are a couple of teams still fighting for the wild card spots in the Western Conference, so the Canucks first round playoff opponent has yet to be decided. The Wild, Predators and Blues are all in a very close battle for the 3rd seed in the Central division, with the other two likely being the 2 wild cards. The first round could be the most difficult round for the Canucks, as they have struggled to score against those teams. A second-round matchup would be the winner of the Golden Knights - Flames series.