Jim Benning insists he has a playoff team.

Through late January, the Vancouver Canucks general manager appears to be right.

With a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, the Canucks notched their 23rd victory on the season and collected two more points to move into the second wild-card slot in the Western Conference.

Through 49 games, Vancouver owns a 23-20-6 record, good for 52 points.

It's been a fun month for Canucks fans, with the team holding a 6-2-3 showing through January.

Vancouver now looks to build on its winning ways when it closes out the month on Thursday, as the Canucks head to the desert to take on the Arizona Coyotes.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.