With a sliver separating the Pacific Division's middle-rangers between a top seed or an early April, every point goes from an inch to a mile.
If the Canucks beat San Jose in regulation tonight, they'll jump from eighth to fifth – and only three points back of the charged Chicago Blackhawks. Lose, and they sit where they are, on the cusp of another disappointing, playoff-less campaign.
If the Sharks get a point or win, they'll re-take second spot in the Pacific, leap-frogging the streaking Calgary Flames – you might have forgotten about them, but Calgary's 8-2-0 in its last 10 to surge ahead of the hangers-on.
"For the second game in a row the Canucks get to face a team that had to play and travel the night before," writes Daniel Fung, reporter for Canucks.com. "Vancouver didn't do nearly enough early in their game against the Jets to run them down. Seeing as how the Sharks had a tough night in Calgary, the Canucks will want to make sure they skate hard early on and try and build a quick lead."
Chris Tanev will miss tonight's game, reportedly suffering from an upper-body sustained against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. Tanev played over 20 minutes in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over Winnipeg and played a pivotal role in Vancouver's gutsy come-from-behind effort, holding fort alongside Alex Edler on the blueline.
Frank Corrado will also miss his second straight game with an illness. Forward Zack Kassian – whose seat atop West Coast trade rumours surely won't stop until he's either moved or scores a goal – will miss his third straight game as a healthy scratch.
Although it's perhaps not a straight switch, Kassian's spot in the lineup has been filled by Latvian rookie Ronalds Kenins. The 2014 Olympian has two goals in just three games for the Canucks, and has found chemistry on the fourth line forecheck with Bo Horvat and Derek Dorsett.
"I know I have to work hard every shift," Kenins told reporters after Tuesday night's triumphant performance, where he nabbed the game-tying second goal in the third period.
"I got two goals, but it doesn't mean anything."
Kenins' first game with the Canucks last Friday, against Buffalo, saw him suit up alongside Kassian on the other wing.
*Tonight's game will go at 7 p.m. and airs on Sportsnet Pacific and TSN 1040 radio.
The Canucks beat the Sharks in the teams' last this season, 3-1 on December 30. San Jose flies into Vancouver for the end of a two-nighter, after a 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.