Still plenty of questions ahead for the Ducks

So what do we know about the Ducks in relation to the Stanley Cup playoffs that begin next week?

We know they will be one of 16 teams that have gained entrance to a two-month-long torture test just for the right to hoist the big silver chalice. It isn’t called the toughest trophy to win in sports for nothing.

We also know it’s the first time they’ll appear in consecutive postseasons. These Ducks aren’t heading back into the NHL wilderness any time soon.

And ...

That’s about it. Only three games remain on the regular-season ledger, but at the moment the Ducks don’t know if they’ll win their first division title or if they’ll even be at home when the playoffs open.

And as far as which team they will play in the first round, well, trying to answer that question at this time is about as fruitless as calling for the league to ban fighting.

The Ducks may not know their playoff scenario even as they fly back from Columbus, Ohio, after Saturday night’s game against the Blue Jackets. The next four days could make things clearer, but it’s possible their destination won’t be decided until Calgary and Colorado finish Sunday night.

One look at the Western Conference standings tells the story. All three divisions remain up for grabs and all eight playoff teams could have 100 or more points.

The seedings for those eight can still fluctuate like the stock market. In the Ducks’ case, they can still finish first in the West if Detroit stumbles or they can finish as low as sixth if they fall on their faces.

Even the President’s Trophy, given to the team that finishes the regular season with the most points, is still in play. But perhaps no team wants any part of that bull’s-eye after last season’s winner, the Red Wings, flamed out in the opening round.

The race this season is so tight, in fact, that the West is next to impossible to predict.

“Nobody ever says they want to face somebody, but I don’t think it’s ever been more true than this year,” Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer said. “Every team is solid. Every series can be a battle. You don’t know what will happen.”

Entering tonight, the top eight teams in the conference are separated by only 14 points -- so close that the Ducks, in looking toward the first round, need to keep an eye on four teams.

Tonight’s game against the San Jose Sharks at Honda Center, for example, could be a prelude to a wild first-round series, which would come closer to reality if the Ducks win tonight to end the Sharks’ Pacific Division title hopes.

Both teams want to move the puck up the ice as fast as possible and their games this season have been among the league’s most entertaining. Who wouldn’t want to see Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger battle Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau for seven games?

When it’s all said and done, the Ducks wouldn’t mind taking their chances with the Sharks, whose youngsters on defense at times struggled. But that’s only as long as the Ducks are able to keep sniper Jonathan Cheechoo from terrorizing them.

Another possibility is the Minnesota Wild.

The Ducks met the Wild in the 2003 Western Conference finals, but the Wild hasn’t been back to the playoffs since. Minnesota will never be an offensive juggernaut under defense-minded Coach Jacques Lemaire, but it has more scoring options, is strong in special teams and runs a trap-like system that can frustrate up-tempo teams such as the Ducks.

As long as he is on the ice, oft-injured winger Marian Gaborik is as dangerous as they come. With him in the lineup, the Wild is 31-8-7. Without him, it is 15-18-1. The Ducks should win, but it would be a grind, and to think an upset isn’t possible here would be foolish.

Then there is Dallas. If the Ducks can hang on and win the Pacific Division and get at least the No. 2 seeding in the conference, they could find the Stars waiting for them. Until losing at home to St. Louis on Monday, Dallas had gone 10-1-1 in its previous 12 games.

The Stars have many veterans who are tough and playoff-tested, meaning the Ducks could have their hands full.

Don’t discount Stars Coach Dave Tippett going with youngster Mike Smith in goal instead of veteran Marty Turco. Smith has beaten the Ducks in both of his starts against them and Turco, while strong in the regular season, has yet to shake his playoff demons.

The final possibility is Calgary. On paper, it would seem to be the easiest matchup. The Ducks simply are better than last season, when they won Game 7 in Calgary to knock the Flames out of the first round. The Flames can score now, but they don’t intimidate anymore and play poorly on the road.

But do the Ducks really want to mess with them again? The Ducks weren’t given much of a chance last season and reveled as all of Canada expected an Edmonton-Calgary “Battle of Alberta” showdown. The Ducks now would be the heavy favorite.

And the Flames still have indomitable captain Jarome Iginla, who dominated the Ducks until Francois Beauchemin punched him silly in a Game 6 moment that turned that series. If they do meet, Beauchemin might want to brush up on those boxing skills.

Maybe the Ducks are better off not trying to figure out anything. Just ask Chris Pronger.

“You look at last year,” said Pronger, who led eighth-seeded Edmonton to the Cup finals last season. In the first round, seedings “five, six, seven and eight won. You look at the teams this year. It could easily happen again. Anyone can win in the first round.”

eric.stephens@latimes.com