The race for playoff spots at this time of the NHL season is tight and the Pacific Division is no exception, with five teams possessing realistic postseason aspirations. The Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames hold down the top three spots in the division, with the Vancouver Canucks sitting in the final wild-card spot and the Arizona Coyotes close on their heels.

The Golden Knights and Oilers, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the Pacific, are set to clash Monday night with first place in the division on the line. The Golden Knights have 84 points to the Oilers’ 82, with Edmonton holding a game in hand. The Oilers won the first matchup between the two teams this season, 4-2 on Nov. 23, before Vegas shut out Edmonton 3-0 on Feb. 26. Their final meeting of the regular season comes on March 31.

Vegas has gone 8-2 in their last 10 games, with winger Max Pacioretty leading the way offensively. He has 32 goals and 66 points in 70 games, one off of his career-high of 67. Goaltender Robin Lehner, who joined the team at the trade deadline, has also been strong for Vegas, winning his first three starts with a .940 save percentage and 1.67 GAA.

The Oilers are looking for just their second playoff appearance since 2006 and their first since 2016-17, when they fell in the second round in seven games to the Anaheim Ducks. Edmonton currently has the NHL’s top two scorers in their lineup in Leon Draisaitl (110 points) and Connor McDavid (96). Since being called up, 21-year-old forward Kailer Yamamoto has 11 goals and 24 points in 25 games, giving Edmonton another top-six forward.

Rounding out the top three in the Pacific is the Flames, who won the Western Conference last year. They currently sit three points behind Edmonton and five points back of Vegas. While their top forwards have taken a step back offensively this season after career years in 2018-19, the Flames have managed to keep pace in the West. They are 3-1 since the calendar flipped to March.

The Canucks and the Coyotes are the other two Pacific teams in the hunt for a playoff spot as the three California teams (Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings) sit well out of the playoff picture.

The Canucks have gone just 1-6 in the seven games since No. 1 goaltender Jacob Markstrom went down with an injury on Feb. 22. While recent trade acquisition Tyler Toffoli, who has five goals and eight points in nine games, has lived up to expectations, the Canucks have struggled mightily without Markstrom.

Winger Brock Boeser is also expected to be back soon from a rib cartilage injury, but Markstrom’s health could be the difference between a playoff spot or missing out on the postseason for a fifth consecutive year. They currently occupy the final wild-card spot in the West with 76 points.

The Coyotes are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have played inconsistent hockey. Since being acquired from the Devils in December, Taylor Hall has 10 goals and 27 points in 34 games. No. 1 goalie Darcy Kuemper, who was a big reason for Arizona’s early season success, returned from a lower-body injury recently after being out for two months.

Both Vancouver and Arizona have outside shots at catching one of the top three spots in the Pacific, but inconsistent play from both teams and competition from the Central Division could push them out of the wild-card spots.

With a month left in the regular season, a hot streak or a cold spell for any of the teams in the Pacific could mean a playoff spot or an early summer.