They have been called dull, boring, and not much fun to watch. Yet with each and every one of their recent results, the Vancouver Canucks have managed to take this city on a monthlong thrill ride—one that isn’t over yet. And as crazy as it sounds, and as inconsistently as they’ve played on many nights in recent weeks, the Canucks’ season may not be over for a while. Then again, it could all come crashing down on April 5. There’s just no telling what to expect from this group, so trying to project how the season will end is a fruitless endeavour.

Despite significant injuries, spectacular scoring slumps, and enough drama to put Britney Spears to shame, somehow with two weeks left in the National Hockey League season, the Canucks have done what they had to do. Not only have they managed to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot, but remarkably they remain in the battle for the Northwest Division championship. Quite frankly, it defies logic.

Much attention in this city has been paid to the Canucks and their monumental struggle to score more than a single goal most nights and to dress a full complement of NHL–calibre defencemen for every game. And those are issues they continue to deal with. But the reality of the situation is that the Canucks have plenty of company when it comes to teams with flaws pushing for playoff spots. And as strange as it might sound, there are a number of possible scenarios that would give the Canucks plenty of hope for a prolonged stay in the playoffs. Of course, they have to make it to the postseason before they can start getting those hopes up.

It’s easy to see why the Canucks are in a battle just to qualify for the NHL’s second season. But why are the Calgary Flames and the Minnesota Wild still within striking distance? The Flames have been almost completely healthy all season long; they have one of the best leaders in the game in Jarome Iginla, who is having one the best offensive seasons of his career; they have an elite goalie in Miikka Kiprusoff; and yet they’ve done absolutely nothing to separate themselves from the pack. And the Wild boast one of the true game-breakers in the league in Marian Gaborik; a supporting cast that includes the likes of Brian Rolston, Pavol Demitra, and Mikko Koivu; and one of the great tacticians behind the bench in Jacques Lemaire. And the Wild is right there too.

The truth of the matter is that both the Flames and the Wild have plenty of warts, as do teams like Colorado, Dallas, and Anaheim. Even the Detroit Red Wings, who won 33 of their first 44 games this season, have looked ordinary on many nights in the second half of the season.

Now, this isn’t to suggest for a moment that the Vancouver Canucks are going to mow down a series of Western Conference opponents on a run to the Stanley Cup this spring. But if the Canucks manage to finish strong and earn the third seed that goes along with the division title, they’ll go into the playoffs on a roll, and in all likelihood will draw one of their Northwest foes in the opening round.

Despite the Jekyll-and-Hyde act that Canuck fans have witnessed throughout the year, the team stands a reasonable chance of beating the Wild, the Flames, or the Avalanche in a seven-game series. They’ve played both Calgary and Minnesota well throughout the season, and Colorado is pinning its playoff hopes on Jose Theodore, who has been good this year but has never had much playoff success. As well, his lack of recent playoff exposure (nine games in the past three years) automatically gives opponents reason to believe.

Even if the Canucks fall short of winning the division crown but manage to finish in sixth spot, they’ll still draw either the Flames, Wild, or Avalanche—and the scenarios remain the same, although it’ll be a tougher challenge simply because the Canucks would open on the road. But it would be hard to call a Vancouver victory an upset, simply because the final point totals are going to be remarkably close.

If the Canucks finish eighth and Detroit finishes first, it would be a fling with the Wings in the opening round. On paper, Detroit would be the heavy favourite, and rightly so. But Dominik Hasek is looking more and more like a 43-year-old struggling to play one of the toughest positions in sports. The Wings have a ton of talent in front of Hasek, so he doesn’t have to be great, but teams that go far in the playoffs all have great goaltending. Hasek used to be great; he may not be any longer, and the Wings won’t have the edge in goaltending in almost any playoff series.

The one matchup the Canucks seemingly wouldn’t want is with the Pacific Division winner. San Jose has been the best team in hockey over the past month, and has swept the Canucks in all four meetings this season. With its size and toughness, Anaheim poses a number of problems, and Dallas has improved enough from a year ago that it likely has enough depth to outlast the Canucks in a reversal of last spring’s seven-game series. Then again, the Canucks won the regular season series over both the Ducks and the Stars.

The bottom line in all of this is that clearly a few opportunities exist for the Canucks to have playoff success this year. But at the same time, they seem equally capable of missing the postseason altogether. They’re that kind of team, and it’s been that kind of season.

The Canucks are in no position to be thinking about who their first-round opponent might be. The only team they can worry about right now is themselves. But if they can win that battle, who knows—they just might be able to win a few more before the season is through.

Jeff Paterson is a sportscaster and talk-show host on Vancouver’s all-sports radio, Team 1040. E-mail him at jeff.paterson@team1040.ca.