LAS VEGAS, NV - Fans of any team in the NHL's Pacific Division surely must have assumed a few weeks ago that, for better or worse, they'd be looking at some separation in the playoff hunt come the end of February, but with two days left in the month, no dice.
Just four points currently separate the top four squads in the Pacific and not one team has showed signs of folding their hand.
So after starting their three-game trip with a win and an overtime loss, the chips will be down on Wednesday night in Vegas as the Oilers head into T-Mobile Arena with a shot at a share of top spot in the Pacific Division before heading home.
The Vegas Golden Knights currently sit two points ahead of both the Canucks and Oilers who maintain the Pacific's second and third spots, respectively, with 74 points each. And with the Canucks idle, it will be Wednesday night's victor on The Strip that will find themselves atop the division when the sun rises on Thursday.
SHOT-FOR-SHOT
While the Oilers boast a superb 13-5-4 record since December 31 to give them the third-best points percentage in that span behind only the Bruins and Lightning, they'll be in tough against their divisional rivals in Nevada who have been on a heater of their own as winners of their last six and a run of 7-2-1 in the previous 10.
Two hot teams, two big points and ownership of first place in the division- so, as they often are anyway, the stakes will be high in Vegas.
"We're a hungry group. We know what's at stake," defenceman Adam Larsson said pre-game from the team's hotel. "It's a division game that's really big for both teams. This is the time of the year that it's most fun to play. I think it's one of those games that can really set the bar for the rest of the way."
NEW BLOOD
While the group as a whole didn't shy from the fact they didn't play their best hockey during Tuesday's loss in Anaheim, they were quick to note that the strong debuts of newly-acquired forwards in Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Ennis were essential in the group salvaging a very important single point nonetheless.