We just rounded the halfway point of the NHL calendar on Saturday, but it feels like three seasons’ worth of action has already occurred in the Pacific Division.
The defending champs, the best player in the world and the three hottest teams in hockey all call the Pacific home.
On the weekend, Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers ran their winning streak to 10 games, Seattle is one behind at nine and the squad that actually leads the group — the Vancouver Canucks — ripped off their fifth straight W.
Meanwhile, the Vegas club that claimed the 2023 Cup lost again, as did the team many people seemed prepared to hand the 2024 title to, the Los Angeles Kings.
Six weeks ago, it felt like a lock the top three clubs in the division come spring — in some order — would be Vegas, L.A. and Vancouver. Since Dec. 1, though, the top six Pacific teams by points percentage are Edmonton (.824), Vancouver (.789), Seattle (.694), Calgary (.550), Vegas (.500) and the Kings (.500).
The Oilers, of course, have gone 20-6-0 under new coach Kris Knoblauch to climb all the way back into a playoff spot after a miserable start. Seattle, meanwhile, has ascended back into playoff contention due to the fact it may finally have found a goalie. Even with making the post-season last year, the Kraken had the worst five-on-five save percentage in the league (.903) through their first two years of competition.
Enter Joey Daccord, who — after starting eight games for Seattle in its first two seasons with the team combined — has started 24 this year and has the best save percentage in the league (.944) since Dec. 1 among tenders with 10 appearances.
Calgary’s Jacob Markstom is third on that list (.931), as the Flames have climbed back into the fight and caused us to second guess whether the Pacific would also be home to the league’s biggest seller ahead of the deadline.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Kings can’t pull out of a tailspin that’s now seen them drop eight straight after being downed 5-3 by Detroit on Saturday. Offence is the main issue, as Los Angeles is barely scoring two goals per game during that stretch.
As for Vegas, the Knights — who lost 3-1 on home ice to Calgary on Saturday — are a sub .500 team (13-14-4) in the time since starting the year 11-0-1.
The Knights are beat up, no doubt, with several key players sidelined by injuries. Still, with hard-charging Edmonton and Seattle now both just six points behind the second-place club (with Seattle holding one game in hand and the Oilers clutching four), Vegas’ cushion to mess around is gone. (The scuffling Kings are also just one point back holding four games in hand).
Things are even spicy in the depths of the Pacific, with Anaheim — already larded with young skill — swinging a deal to land highly skilled prospect Cutter Gauthier recently and San Jose losing hard in pursuit of a chance to draft a kid, in Macklin Celebrini, who would bring franchise-changing talent to a Bay Area he spent several formative hockey-playing years in.
Of course, that will all come down to how the lottery balls shake out. And, right now, whether you’re talking about the top of the division or the bottom, it all feels up for grabs in the Pacific.
Other Takeaways
• The Central Division may be relatively stable compared to its Western Conference cousin, but there’s still no shortage of action there, too. The Colorado Avalanche were the first team to come back on the Toronto Maple Leafs this weekend (more on that later), erasing a 3-0 first-period deficit on Saturday to win 5-3. The 2022 champs — who are surely benefiting from a long summer’s worth of rest — have just one regulation-time loss in their past 11 outings and Jonathan Drouin is quietly entering the chat for the comeback player of the year award the NHL does not hand out. The 28-year-old — who inked a one-year, $825,000-deal with the Avs to play with his old major junior pal, Nathan “Gunning For the Hart” MacKinnon — started real slow in Denver with one goal and three points through 15 outings. With a goal and a helper versus the Leafs, though, the 2013 third-overall pick is up to 16 points in his past 15 games as he tries to put six fairly miserable years in Montreal behind him. By the way, Drouin and his new team visit the Canadiens on Monday.
Minnesota, meanwhile, is apparently now in the new-coach dump phase of its season. The Wild were smashed 6-0 by Arizona on Saturday and are 1-7-1 in their past nine contests after starting 11-3-0 under John Hynes, who replaced Dean Evason in late November.
• The Detroit Red Wings were the second club to come back against the Maple Leafs in Toronto, squeezing out a 4-2 victory thanks to Andrew Copp’s late game-winner that was part of a three-goal third, including the ENG courtesy Lucas Raymond. Detroit appeared to be veering hard into another-lost-season territory with a 3-9-1 stretch in December after Patrick Kane (who left Sunday’s tilt with a lower-body injury) joined the squad. And while all anybody in the Motor City will be talking about today was the Detroit Lions’ first NFL playoff victory since just months before Nick Lidstrom’s rookie NHL season, the Wings notched two huge W’s in 48 hours to get back in an Eastern Conference wild card spot and pick up at least a point in six straight games, going 5-0-1 in that stretch.
Weekend Warrior
Samuel Ersson made 35 saves in Winnipeg on Saturday to shutout the Jets and pick up his second whitewash of the season. The Swede has been more than solid for Philly this year. In fact, since Nov. 10, Ersson’s .931 save percentage ranks second among goalies with at least 12 starts. The only puckstopper with a better mark is the same guy Ersson beat on Saturday, Connor Hellebuyck (.939).
Red and White Power Rankings
1. Vancouver Canucks (29-11-3) One more game remains on this extended road trip, which is already a smashing success. After blanking the Sabres 1-0 in Buffalo on Saturday, the Canucks can win their sixth game in a row on Monday in Columbus and finish this voyage with a 6-1-0 record.
2. Winnipeg Jets (28-10-4) Winnipeg’s eight-game winning streak came to an end Saturday night when the team was blanked 2-0 by the Flyers. Mark Scheifele did not suit up for that game thanks to a lower-body issue, but on the positive side of things, it seems like Kyle Connor — who practiced without a non-contact sweater that same day — is nearing a return from the knee injury that’s shelved him since mid-December.
3. Edmonton Oilers (23-15-1) On Nov. 23, the Oilers were 14 points behind Los Angeles, which was being heralded as a Cup contender. Today, Edmonton is one point back of the Kings — with the same amount of games played — for third spot in the Pacific Division. That’s what 10 wins in a row — and 18 of your past 21 — does.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs (21-12-8) Cleary it was not a weekend to remember for the Buds. Maybe Toronto can get right on the road as it sets out for a trip through Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle.
5. Calgary Flames (20-18-5) Hello, Blake Coleman. After going 1-1-2 in Vegas, Coleman has four goals and seven points in his past three outings. The 32-year-old Texan is on pace for 36 goals and, the way he’s going, could pass his previous best of 22 this week.
6. Montreal Canadiens (17-18-7) The Habs played pretty well in Saturday’s 2-1 overtime loss to the Oilers, but it’s sobering to think Montreal’s eight regulation-time wins are tied with San Jose — a team with 11- and 12-game losing streaks on the books this year — for the fewest in the league.
7. Ottawa Senators (15-23-0) We’re less than a week away from Shane Pinto being eligible to return from his 41-game suspension. The 23-year-old could suit up next Sunday in Philadelphia
The Week Ahead
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day in American brings lots of Monday afternoon hockey action. The Bruins host the Devils, the Canucks visit Columbus in search of their sixth straight win and the Kraken shoot for their 10th consecutive victory in Pittsburgh versus Sidney Crosby’s Penguins.
• Speaking of winning streaks, the Oilers already have the longest one in the league this season at 10 games and they’ll be looking to tack on an 11th in the battle between Matthews and McDavid on Tuesday night.
• Edmonton also hosts Seattle on Thursday; will two huge victory runs be on the line?
• Saturday is Hockey Day in Canada, coming to you this year from Victoria, B.C. Flip on Sportsnet and just leave it there for the all-Canadian matchups as the Jets visit the Sens (3 p.m. ET), the Leafs invade Vancouver (7p.m. ET) and the Battle of Alberta goes off in the late game in Calgary (10 p.m. ET).
That same night, Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick returns to L.A. for the first time since the Kings crease legend was traded by the club at last year’s deadline.
