<p>The Pacific Division is the toughest in the National Hockey League so far this season.</p>
<p>Vegas, Los Angeles, Edmonton, and Vancouver are among the top 11 teams in the NHL standings and in the top 11 in points percentage. The Pacific is the only one with four teams in the top 11.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Here is a quick look at where teams rank&#8230;</p>
<table width="348">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="81"><strong>Standings</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="75"><strong>PAC</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="64"><strong>CEN</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="64"><strong>ATL</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="64"><strong>MET</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">Top 11</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">Middle 11</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">Bottom 10</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Here is how the top 11 ranks in terms of points percentage, with their place in the league standings shown in the first column.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-166078 size-full" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-774.png" alt="" width="915" height="720" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-774.png 915w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-774-300x236.png 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-774-768x604.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 915px) 100vw, 915px" /></p>
<p>Over the past 10 games, the Pacific Division has four of the top seven teams in the NHL.</p>
<p>Vegas is 8-1-1, Edmonton is 8-2-0, LA is 7-3-0, and Vancouver is 6-2-2. Those four teams have combined for 29 wins and 61 points in the past three weeks, while the top-four teams in the Atlantic and Metro have 24 wins each and the Atlantic has 51 points and the Metro 50. The top four in the Central have 20 wins and 42 points.</p>
<p>We often hear how the bottom of the Pacific is weak, but only San Jose and Anaheim rank in the bottom 10 teams in the league. Edmonton is 7-3-0 against the bottom 10 teams and has yet to play the Sharks or Ducks. Vegas is 7-0-0, Vancouver is 9-2-0 and LA is 8-3-2. Vancouver has played two games against the Sharks and Ducks, Vegas four, and LA five. Toronto (6-4-1 vs bottom 10 teams) and Florida (4-3-1) reside in the Atlantic and they currently have four of the bottom 10 teams in the NHL, yet you never hear anyone claim their division is weak despite the same four teams making the playoffs the past seven years (technically six seasons, because in 2021 the divisions were different).</p>
<p>The Pacific isn&#8217;t clearly the most dominant division, but the constant chatter, mainly out East, about it being weak are so misguided that it&#8217;s embarrassing to listen to. The Oilers, Canucks, Kings and Golden Knights are set up for a great race for home-ice advantage in the opening two rounds.</p>
<h1>QUICK HITS&#8230;.</h1>
<p>&#8212; The Oilers are 0-2 against Vegas this year. They lost 1-0 in Vegas a few weeks ago, and they will be hungry for a win tomorrow afternoon. It should be a great game. Vegas didn&#8217;t allow the Oilers to penetrate the middle of the ice. Edmonton had 16 shots in the third period, but only two were somewhat dangerous. Edmonton has to find a way to get more inner slot shots tomorrow.</p>
<p>&#8212; Quite the past few days for the leading scorers in the NHL. Nikita Kucherov had six points last night in Calgary. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen each had five points vs Pittsburgh on Tuesday while Leon Draisaitl had a four-point night last night.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-166082 size-full" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-775.png" alt="" width="1008" height="616" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-775.png 1008w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-775-300x183.png 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-775-768x469.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1008px) 100vw, 1008px" /></p>
<p>The Art Ross race will be fascinating. Don&#8217;t think for a moment it doesn&#8217;t matter to Connor McDavid, Kucherov, MacKinnon, Draisaitl, and the others. You want to beat the best, and they are highly competitive. If you go off pts/game and remaining games Kucherov is on pace for 141 points, followed by Martin Necas (127) Kirill Kaprizov (125), MacKinnon (124), McDavid (122), Draisaitl (119), and Mikko Rantanen (114). Remember, that is just projected off their current pace, and that can change quickly.</p>
<p>&#8212; Evan Bouchard will not skate today with the Oilers today. He is getting reevaluated after taking this hit from Ryan Hartman late in last night&#8217;s victory.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">EDM MIN G29. December 12, 2024. Evan Bouchard hurt replay. 🎥: Sportsnet <a href="https://t.co/zxMNAIPm7p">pic.twitter.com/zxMNAIPm7p</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Nation Network Media (@NationNMedia) <a href="https://twitter.com/NationNMedia/status/1867420764028514553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>If Bouchard can&#8217;t play tomorrow afternoon, then we could see Alec Regula makes his Oilers debut. Regula hasn&#8217;t played a game this season. He took the morning skate yesterday and practiced today, but I could see we won&#8217;t know if he will play until warmup. Bouchard will be a game time decision.</p>
<p>&#8212; I see a few things on the hit. Bouchard needs to have more situational awareness at that moment. You need to prepare for contact when racing for a puck, especially against a guy like Hartman, who has a reputation for being a rat. If it was Marco Rossi, you likely don&#8217;t have to be braced as much.</p>
<p>Also, it would have been nice for an Oilers player to go after Hartman and challenge him. If you jump him, you take an instigator in the final 10 minutes, so I understand why that didn&#8217;t happen, but get in his face at bare minimum. It&#8217;s not Marcus Foligno — guys like Ty Emberson, Brett Kulak, Zach Hyman, Corey Perry and others would not be worried about fighting Hartman. Even if you don&#8217;t fight him, let him know it is a BS hit. I still feel the Oilers need to stand up for each other more. Throw in the fact Edmonton is 7-1 in games where they have a scrap, and going after a rat like Hartman wouldn&#8217;t be a bad idea. I realize the game was already decided at that moment, but for me, that makes getting in Hartman&#8217;s grill even more important.</p>
<p>&#8212; If Bouchard misses any time, that won&#8217;t be ideal. I know he hasn&#8217;t played as well as last year, but he&#8217;s still a key piece of the team. Him missing any games will be a loss.</p>
<p>&#8212; And this season is exactly why I said all summer the Oilers shouldn&#8217;t rush to sign Bouchard to an extension. Last summer he could have commanded $10 million. He had 82 points in the regular season and followed that up with an outstanding playoff performance. If he had another great season, then he&#8217;d still be in the $10m range. The odds were low he&#8217;d be significantly better this year, because of how high the bar was last year, so it made sense to wait. He will still command a big raise this summer, but if the rest of the season remains at this pace, he won&#8217;t be in as strong of a position and the AAV could be a bit lower.</p>
<hr />
<h1>MONTH OF GIVING&#8230;</h1>
<p>Thanks to Troy and Darren for their generous bids on the Chop Steakhouse package and the Fitted Golf package.</p>
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Day 14: Pyramid of Giving</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-166085" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-776-300x249.png" alt="" width="300" height="249" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-776-300x249.png 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-776.png 434w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></div>
<div></div>
<div class="mb-5">We fill out the Pyramid of Giving to help The Christmas Bureau. It is a simple donation.</div>
<ul>
<li class="mb-5">We will have 15 people donate $100</li>
<li class="mb-5">Ten people will donate $200.</li>
<li class="mb-5">Four people will donate $500</li>
<li class="mb-5">Two people, or companies, will donate $1000.</li>
</ul>
<div class="mb-5">And we will raise $7,500 for the Christmas Bureau. (Tax receipt included).<br />
<strong class="text-lg font-bold"><br />
You can make a donation via text between 2-6 p.m. on Sports 1440 by texting 833.401.1440 (can call same number) and include your name and donation amount. Thanks in advance.</strong></div>

Vegas Golden Knights celebrate goal against Edmonton Oilers

The Pacific Division is the toughest in the National Hockey League so far this season.

Vegas, Los Angeles, Edmonton, and Vancouver are among the top 11 teams in the NHL standings and in the top 11 in points percentage. The Pacific is the only one with four teams in the top 11.



Here is a quick look at where teams rank...
<table width="348">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="81"><strong>Standings</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="75"><strong>PAC</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="64"><strong>CEN</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="64"><strong>ATL</strong></td>
<td style="text-align: center;" width="64"><strong>MET</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">Top 11</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">Middle 11</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">Bottom 10</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Here is how the top 11 ranks in terms of points percentage, with their place in the league standings shown in the first column.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-166078 size-full" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-774.png" alt="" width="915" height="720" />

Over the past 10 games, the Pacific Division has four of the top seven teams in the NHL.

Vegas is 8-1-1, Edmonton is 8-2-0, LA is 7-3-0, and Vancouver is 6-2-2. Those four teams have combined for 29 wins and 61 points in the past three weeks, while the top-four teams in the Atlantic and Metro have 24 wins each and the Atlantic has 51 points and the Metro 50. The top four in the Central have 20 wins and 42 points.

We often hear how the bottom of the Pacific is weak, but only San Jose and Anaheim rank in the bottom 10 teams in the league. Edmonton is 7-3-0 against the bottom 10 teams and has yet to play the Sharks or Ducks. Vegas is 7-0-0, Vancouver is 9-2-0 and LA is 8-3-2. Vancouver has played two games against the Sharks and Ducks, Vegas four, and LA five. Toronto (6-4-1 vs bottom 10 teams) and Florida (4-3-1) reside in the Atlantic and they currently have four of the bottom 10 teams in the NHL, yet you never hear anyone claim their division is weak despite the same four teams making the playoffs the past seven years (technically six seasons, because in 2021 the divisions were different).

The Pacific isn't clearly the most dominant division, but the constant chatter, mainly out East, about it being weak are so misguided that it's embarrassing to listen to. The Oilers, Canucks, Kings and Golden Knights are set up for a great race for home-ice advantage in the opening two rounds.
<h1>QUICK HITS....</h1>
--- The Oilers are 0-2 against Vegas this year. They lost 1-0 in Vegas a few weeks ago, and they will be hungry for a win tomorrow afternoon. It should be a great game. Vegas didn't allow the Oilers to penetrate the middle of the ice. Edmonton had 16 shots in the third period, but only two were somewhat dangerous. Edmonton has to find a way to get more inner slot shots tomorrow.

--- Quite the past few days for the leading scorers in the NHL. Nikita Kucherov had six points last night in Calgary. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen each had five points vs Pittsburgh on Tuesday while Leon Draisaitl had a four-point night last night.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-166082 size-full" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-775.png" alt="" width="1008" height="616" />

The Art Ross race will be fascinating. Don't think for a moment it doesn't matter to Connor McDavid, Kucherov, MacKinnon, Draisaitl, and the others. You want to beat the best, and they are highly competitive. If you go off pts/game and remaining games Kucherov is on pace for 141 points, followed by Martin Necas (127) Kirill Kaprizov (125), MacKinnon (124), McDavid (122), Draisaitl (119), and Mikko Rantanen (114). Remember, that is just projected off their current pace, and that can change quickly.

--- Evan Bouchard will not skate today with the Oilers today. He is getting reevaluated after taking this hit from Ryan Hartman late in last night's victory.

https://twitter.com/NationNMedia/status/1867420764028514553

If Bouchard can't play tomorrow afternoon, then we could see Alec Regula makes his Oilers debut. Regula hasn't played a game this season. He took the morning skate yesterday and practiced today, but I could see we won't know if he will play until warmup. Bouchard will be a game time decision.

--- I see a few things on the hit. Bouchard needs to have more situational awareness at that moment. You need to prepare for contact when racing for a puck, especially against a guy like Hartman, who has a reputation for being a rat. If it was Marco Rossi, you likely don't have to be braced as much.

Also, it would have been nice for an Oilers player to go after Hartman and challenge him. If you jump him, you take an instigator in the final 10 minutes, so I understand why that didn't happen, but get in his face at bare minimum. It's not Marcus Foligno — guys like Ty Emberson, Brett Kulak, Zach Hyman, Corey Perry and others would not be worried about fighting Hartman. Even if you don't fight him, let him know it is a BS hit. I still feel the Oilers need to stand up for each other more. Throw in the fact Edmonton is 7-1 in games where they have a scrap, and going after a rat like Hartman wouldn't be a bad idea. I realize the game was already decided at that moment, but for me, that makes getting in Hartman's grill even more important.

--- If Bouchard misses any time, that won't be ideal. I know he hasn't played as well as last year, but he's still a key piece of the team. Him missing any games will be a loss.

--- And this season is exactly why I said all summer the Oilers shouldn't rush to sign Bouchard to an extension. Last summer he could have commanded $10 million. He had 82 points in the regular season and followed that up with an outstanding playoff performance. If he had another great season, then he'd still be in the $10m range. The odds were low he'd be significantly better this year, because of how high the bar was last year, so it made sense to wait. He will still command a big raise this summer, but if the rest of the season remains at this pace, he won't be in as strong of a position and the AAV could be a bit lower.

<hr />

<h1>MONTH OF GIVING...</h1>
Thanks to Troy and Darren for their generous bids on the Chop Steakhouse package and the Fitted Golf package.
<div class="mb-5"><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Day 14: Pyramid of Giving</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-166085" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Screenshot-776-300x249.png" alt="" width="300" height="249" /></div>
<div></div>
<div class="mb-5">We fill out the Pyramid of Giving to help The Christmas Bureau. It is a simple donation.</div>
<ul>
 	<li class="mb-5">We will have 15 people donate $100</li>
 	<li class="mb-5">Ten people will donate $200.</li>
 	<li class="mb-5">Four people will donate $500</li>
 	<li class="mb-5">Two people, or companies, will donate $1000.</li>
</ul>
<div class="mb-5">And we will raise $7,500 for the Christmas Bureau. (Tax receipt included).
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">
You can make a donation via text between 2-6 p.m. on Sports 1440 by texting 833.401.1440 (can call same number) and include your name and donation amount. Thanks in advance.</strong></div>

The Pacific Division Race is Heating Up

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