Battle Of The Pacific

BEFORE A GAME in early February, Ducks sniper Teemu Selanne , who had spent three seasons with San Jose , went after Sharks coach and former boss Ron Wilson outside the locker rooms. Joking and teasing, the pair wrestled like reunited frat brothers. This season few confrontations between Anaheim and San Jose , the top teams in the Pacific Division, have been that lighthearted. In fact, after the Ducks traded for burly 6'6" defenseman Chris Pronger in July, general manager Brian Burke specifically spoke to the advantage of sending him out against Sharks forwards.

Much is at stake for the two teams, who on Monday night met for the sixth time this year, with the Ducks winning 3--2 to take a 4--2 lead in the series. The Pacific winner-- Anaheim led San Jose by seven points--likely will get a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, which means that team could start the playoffs at home the first two rounds and be matched in the opening series with the Calgary Flames , whose road record (7-15-8) is the worst of all prospective playoff clubs. The runner-up in the Pacific would be a fourth or fifth seed, and it might open the postseason on the road and against one of the Central powerhouses, Nashville or Detroit .

"There are two elite teams in the Central, but there is no such thing as an easy playoff draw," says Burke . "Look at the arms race over the last few years: San Jose picks up [center Joe] Thornton ; we add [defenseman Scott] Niedermayer; Nashville gets [center Peter] Forsberg."

San Jose is one of the most balanced squads in the NHL . Oilers forward Ryan Smyth says the Sharks are most daunting because an opponent can't key on one player or one line. Meanwhile the injury-plagued Ducks have stars on the mend. They were 2-7-2 from Dec. 29 through Jan. 19--during that time Pronger sat out nine of 11 games with a broken foot, but the team has been 7-5-2 since his return. Anaheim , which didn't lose its first game this season until the 17th match, is returning to top form.

"Games against Anaheim are intense," says Sharks forward Jonathan Cheechoo . "It's just two points, but it feels like more."