Conference fight only getting more fierce

How tight are things in the Western Conference? I looked up the comparison to last season, after most teams had played somewhere in the range of 52-54 games. Phoenix was in fourth place with 67 points. Detroit was in eighth place with 61 points. Anaheim was in 12th place with 57 points. This season? At the start of today, Nasvhille in fourth place with 62 points. Phoenix was in eighth place with 59 points. Colorado is in 12th place with 56 points. That’s a six-point spread from fourth to 12th, compared to a 10-point spread last season, the equivalent of two wins. Already today, San Jose and Anaheim have won, moving them in fourth and fifth places, respectively, in the conference. Unless the Minnesota-Phoenix game is a three-point game, the winner of tonight’s Kings-Calgary game will move into the top eight, at least for the next few hours anyway. It’s pointless to call this a “big game,” because there are no “little games” anymore, but regardless, Terry Murray was asked about the “showdown” aspect of two teams, neighbors in the standings, facing each other tonight.

MURRAY: “I think the race for the playoffs now begins with the first game of the season. It’s that competitive. You never want to wait until post-All-Star Game to really start to turn it on. You want to take advantage of those games early. But here we are now, with a race that’s got quite a few teams involved. Calgary has climbed back into it. They’re playing very well in the last 10 games or so. We’re in position to keep it going. So it’s going to be a very competitive and important game for both teams tonight.”