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Coyotes-Canucks Preview

Mar 30, 2010 - 7:21 PM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Phoenix (47-23-6) at Vancouver (45-26-4), 10:00 p.m. EDT

The Phoenix Coyotes have already locked up their first postseason berth since 2002 and their first 100-point season in franchise history.

Now, they can send a message to one of the teams they may encounter as they pursue bigger goals.

The Vancouver Canucks, meanwhile, hope to move closer to the Northwest Division title as they host the upstart Coyotes on Tuesday night in a matchup of teams likely to claim top-four seeds in the Western Conference.

Phoenix's unlikely return to the playoffs was completed Saturday, as the team clinched a berth when Calgary lost at Boston and drove the point home with a 6-2 win over Colorado.

The Coyotes (47-23-6) are currently owned by the NHL after spending last summer dealing with bankruptcy proceedings and rumors of relocation, but they've used the West's stingiest defense - led by goalie Ilya Bryzgalov - to set a club record for victories under first-year coach Dave Tippett.

"It's special for us as a team," said captain Shane Doan, who began his career with the franchise before it moved from Winnipeg in 1996. "Obviously there were a lot of doubts coming into this season by a lot of people. It's nice to answer those doubts and have an opportunity to do even better than that."

The Coyotes still could claim the Pacific Division title and the top seed in the West, trailing San Jose by four points with six games remaining. They close the season against the Sharks on April 10.

The team may be feeling more confident than ever with an offense that has been energized by a pair of trade deadline acquisitions. Lee Stempniak and Wojtek Wolski were among the players Phoenix got on March 3, helping the Coyotes go 10-1-1 since.

Wolski had a goal and two assists Saturday, giving him 12 points in 12 games with Phoenix, while Lee Stempniak scored his 11th and 12th goals in that same stretch.

"It's one of those things where I'm just getting chances, and fortunately they're going in," said Stempniak, who had 14 goals in 62 games with Toronto. "I'm just trying to go to the right areas and shoot the puck and keep riding the momentum."

The Canucks (45-26-4) are trying to regain their swagger after dropping three of their last four, but they still have a five-point lead on Colorado in the division with seven games remaining.

They also have a 100-point scorer for the first time since Markus Naslund in 2002-03 after Henrik Sedin notched a pair of assists in Saturday's 4-2 loss at San Jose. Sedin has 101 points - one more than Washington's Alex Ovechkin - to lead the league.

"It's a milestone," Sedin said. "It means something for sure and it's something you can look back on later. I thought I'd never reach that total, so it's real nice."

There are few concerns about Vancouver's offense, which ranks second to the Capitals with 3.21 goals per game. But the Canucks' defense has been shaky lately, with workhorse Roberto Luongo going 1-3-1 with a 3.39 goals-against average in his last five starts.

Luongo was perfect the last time the Coyotes visited General Motors Place, making 31 saves in a 4-0 victory Jan. 7. Sedin had the primary assist on all three of Alex Burrows' goals in that game, part of Vancouver's West-best 27-8-2 home record.

Vancouver will be without defenseman Shane O'Brien after he was benched three games for disciplinary reasons. Coach Alain Vigneault did not give a specific reason for the action, although O'Brien was late for practice Monday.

The Canucks lost in a shootout in both of their visits to Phoenix, and Stempniak scored twice in regulation and once in the shootout in Vancouver's 4-3 defeat March 10. The winner of Tuesday's game takes the season series.