We're officially less than one month away from the start of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs and on Monday night, the first berth can be clinched.
In a post on their website, the National Hockey League shared that the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Canucks can become the first team to clinch a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs if the following scenarios occur:
- Vancouver defeats Los Angeles in any fashion AND St. Louis loses to the Vegas Golden Knights in any fashion.
- Vancouver gets one point against Los Angeles AND St. Louis loses to Vegas in regulation.
"The League-leading Canucks (45-18-8, 98 points) will clinch a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs if they defeat the Kings (37-22-11, 85 points) in any fashion AND the Blues (38-30-3, 79 points) lose to the Golden Knights (38-25-7, 83 points) in any fashion OR if Vancouver gets one point against Los Angeles AND St. Louis loses to Vegas in regulation." The NHL said.
The Vancouver Canucks have surprised a lot of people in the hockey world this season. While it was expected that they would take a step forward this season and compete for a wild card berth or the third spot in the Pacific Division, no one could have predicted them to be leading the Western Conference and NHL standings at this point in the season.
Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko are all big reasons why the Canucks are in the position they are today and with the depth they have as well, they certainly could go on a deep run in the playoffs this spring.
