It has long been proven that no one player or line can carry a team to a Stanley Cup championship.

Besides strong goaltending, NHL teams need good chemistry, balanced scoring and solid special teams for a chance to hoist Lord Stanley's mug. A little bit of grit doesn't hurt, either.

The recent addition of Bryan Smolinski, left, to the Canucks' lineup is a big reason for Markus Naslund, right, regaining his scoring touch.
(Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

All of this will be in full view Friday night in San Jose when the unbeaten-in-two Sharks welcome the Vancouver Canucks, who have won four straight.

Light heavyweight Jeff Cowan, held without a goal in his first 44 games this season, posted his sixth in the last four games to lead the Northwest Division-leading Canucks to a 4-2 win over Phoenix on Thursday.

Vancouver captain Markus Naslund added his 22nd goal of the season and his second in five games playing alongside newcomer Bryan Smolinski as 11 Canucks hit the scoresheet.

"I still think this is going to go to the wire," Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault told reporters after his team opened up a four-point lead on division rivals Calgary and Minnesota. "There are so many conference games and division games left."

The Canucks sit third in the Western Conference, three points in front of No. 5 San Jose, which is coming off back-to-back shutouts against Dallas and Minnesota.

A spectacular 10-1-1 in their past 12 games, the Canucks are starting to get consistent scoring from Naslund, something not seen earlier in the season.

On Thursday, Naslund put Vancouver ahead 3-0, taking a pass from Smolinski and beating Coyotes netminder Curtis Joseph over the blocker midway through the first period.

"I really like playing with Brian," said Naslund, who has three points in five games skating alongside Smolinski. "He sees the ice really well and he's not afraid to make a play.

"I've felt like I've had good legs for the last few games. It's great to have someone you can work a give and go with and get the puck back."

A Feb. 26 trade from Chicago has also been good for Smolinski, who has a goal and four points in five games as a Canuck. He also senses a fire burning within Naslund.

"When he's going, he's something, and when that happens we're all going to end up with some scoring chances," Smolinski said.

A plethora of scoring chances would come in handy against Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, who extended his shutout streak to 126 minutes, 10 seconds with a 26-save performance against Minnesota on Tuesday.

Six different Sharks have accounted for the team's last seven goals. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, the team's top two scorers, are not among this group. And neither is gritty winger Bill Guerin, who hasn't registered a point in four games with San Jose since being acquired from St. Louis before the Feb. 27 trade deadline.

The Sharks scored three second-period goals in a span of 5:51 and didn't take a single penalty in a 3-0 win over the Wild on Tuesday.

"We didn't deserve a penalty, so that was the fun part," coach Ron Wilson told the San Francisco Chronicle. "If we had a power-play goal in there, you pretty much would say it was a perfect game."

San Jose might need another to upend the NHL's hottest team.

Standing in its way will be Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo, who will attempt to break the franchise record for victories in a season. He shares the club mark of 38 with Kirk McLean.