With identical faces and point totals to match, Daniel and Henrik Sedin are, not surprisingly, of like mind when it comes to the rapidly approaching National Hockey League playoffs. Having emerged as the offensive leaders of the Vancouver Canucks, the 26-year-old twins are excited about the prospect of leading their team on a lengthy trip down the road to the Stanley Cup.

Really, it's all that's left on their hockey résumés now that they've emerged as scoring stars and met the expectations of players drafted second and third overall back in 1999. Daniel is enjoying a career year with 32 goals and leads the team with 73 points. Henrik's not far behind and gives every indication he'll break the long-standing franchise record for assists in a season (62) set by André Boudrias back in 1974–75.

In a couple of weeks they'll skate in the postseason for the first time in three years. And for the first time in their NHL careers, they'll head to the playoffs as go-to guys who must produce, rather than as parts of a supporting cast from which a little offence is always considered a bonus.

In some ways, it'll be like a playoff rebirth. And Daniel and Henrik can hardly wait for the opportunity.

“The intensity is so different. You get up for the games, it's so exciting and the crowds are great. They are just great games to play. It's really fun,” Henrik tells the Straight after a practice at General Motors Place. “The games themselves are not that different [from the regular season], although it depends how the referees call them. But we like it when there's a lot of checking in the corners, so the playoffs suit us pretty well.”

Whoa. Hold on there, Hank.

While the constant grind of playoff hockey may suit the Sedins' style, there is virtually no evidence to support the claim that the postseason is the twins' time. To this point in their careers, Henrik has been the better playoff performer, but that really isn't saying much. He has eight goals and eight assists in the 31 games he's played over the four years he's been to the postseason, while Daniel, generally regarded as the better goal scorer of the two, has notched just three career postseason goals (although he does have 10 assists). Daniel has never scored more than one goal in any playoff year, and the Canucks will need that to change in a hurry if they're to succeed this spring.

“It's going to be different this year. We'll have more ice time this year and we'll have a different role,” Daniel says with conviction. “I look forward to it. It's different, but it's not that different. It's a little more physical and every shift is so important. That's the most fun about it—you have to really be on it every shift and you can make a difference every shift. So it's a lot of fun. I love it.”

The Canucks will love it if the Sedins are able to step into the spotlight come playoff time and continue to produce the way they have all season. And that's certainly the expectation of the man calling the shots.

“The twins have been under pressure all year long to be our offensive players, they've handled it really well, and I want them to just go out there and do what they've done. That's what I expect from them, and I don't see a change in them,” says Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault, who's spent much of the season auditioning linemates for his dynamic duo. “All year long, especially on the road, they've been checked by the best players, they've been checked hard and they haven't backed down. They haven't been intimidated, they've played through it and they've played real well for us.”

Vigneault doesn't seem worried by the fact that playoff series are often decided by matchups and the adjustments teams make after seeing the same players night after night after night.

“The only adjustment we're not going to make with them is splitting them up,” he says with a laugh. “They're good players and they're used to this. I'm not concerned at all.”

One of the main reasons Vigneault is at ease is the consistency he's seen from the twins this season. They show up every night, compete hard, and have found ways to rack up points along the way. In their first year under the new coach, the Sedins have rewarded Vigneault for giving them increased ice time and a more prominent role on the power play than they ever had under previous head coach Marc Crawford.

“There was a stretch in January when we didn't play well, but other than that it's been pretty good. It [consistency] is something that we really worked on and we wanted to be more consistent after the lockout,” says Henrik. “Last year, too, we were pretty consistent. I think it's a matter of getting older and more experienced and knowing that we have to go out and perform every night.”

And that's something that not only must continue, but must increase when the Canucks start playing for keeps next month. Daniel and Henrik say they're up for the challenge. But they know there's only one way to prove it, and that's by going out and getting it done. And they won't have to wait long for that chance.

“We're still in the race for first in our division, so that's really what we're focusing on right now,” says Daniel. “But the closer we get to the playoffs, the more excited we're going to be.”

And the same goes for a hockey-mad market yearning for another lengthy playoff run like the Canucks provided in 1982 and '94. This time around, if the team is to have any kind of postseason success, the Sedins will have to lead the charge.

A few years back that might have seemed like a stretch. Now, the twins are definitely a double threat, and they can't wait to prove it again come playoff time.

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