Does anyone want to win the Pacific Division?

Since the calendar turned to 2026, the race for first place in the Pacific Division has been uninspiring. Seattle has the best record in the New Year, while Edmonton and Anaheim are the only other teams to win more than half their games, and both of them only won eight of 15. But the Ducks are 8-2 in their last 10 games after losing their first five games this year.

The good news for the Oilers is they are very much alive in the race for the division, but the bad news is they are allowing goals at an alarming rate.

Edmonton and Vegas are tied for first place, and Vegas has one game in hand. They lost both games to Seattle and Anaheim this weekend, in regulation, to allow Edmonton to keep pace in the Turtle Derby. The Pacific Division leader would currently be sixth in the Atlantic and fourth place in both the Metropolitan and Central divisions. It has not been a stellar regular season for the Pacific Division, but a solid final 26-28 games for Vegas, Edmonton, Seattle, Anaheim or L.A. could earn them first spot in the division. Get really hot for two weeks and you likely win the division.

But based on recent play that is easier said than done. Here are the records of Pacific division teams in 2026.

A four-game winning streak by Seattle has them in third place and three points back of Vegas and Edmonton. They have one game in hand on Vegas and two on Edmonton. Seattle ranks second in offence, but they are 10th in goals against. They have won with solid defensive play and great goaltending. Their roster isn’t as talented as Edmonton, Vegas or Anaheim’s, but they are in the hunt due to defensive consistency.

The Oilers wasted a favourable January schedule and only went 5-5-1 on home ice. They were 3-0-1 on the road which allowed them to win over half their games. The Oilers have allowed 25 goals in their last five games, yet somehow managed to win three of them. As I’ve written for years, scoring isn’t the issue in Edmonton, defending is, and lately it is their top players leaking goals.

In the last five games, at five-on-five the Oilers’ top lines have been bleeding goals against. Here is the GF-GA of the Oilers:

Ekholm: 8-10
Bouchard: 7-10
McDavid: 5-8
Draisaitl and Hyman: 4-7
Walman and RNH: 2-6
Roslovic: 3-5
Nurse: 2-5
Podkolzin and Savoie: 3-4
Emberson: 1-3
Janmark: 0-3
Frederic: 0-2
Lazar: 0-1

The only players who have been even or positive:

Kapanen: 4-1
Samanski: 3-1
Stastney: 2-2

Tristan Jarry had an honest assessment of the Oilers’ play after the Wild game.

“I think the chances that we’re giving up, some of the shots, they’re tough,” he said. “I think it’s a lot of grade A’s, a lot of breakdowns. I think everyone knows when we play the game that we want… that’s the game that we want to put on the ice, and I think that’ll put us on the better side of things, more so than not. But I think to be on that side, we just have to tighten up, and we have to eliminate some of the chances.”

In the past five games, Jarry has made four appearances and at five-on-five he’s allowed 10 goals on 75 shots. Some will look at those numbers and cringe, but even with those numbers he still was around +3.5 in goals saved above expected. I’ve said for years goaltending wasn’t the only issue, but many would rather blame one person than look at the bigger picture. Yes, Stuart Skinner could have had better games, but the Oilers’ unwillingness to play consistent defensive hockey is not new. As good as their top guys are offensively, they can have stretches where they cheat offensively.

Blaming only the goalies would be misguided. Jarry can play better and so can Connor Ingram, but the defensive play of the skaters has to improve as well — arguably moreso.

— The Oilers are capable of playing better defensively. It is simply about committing to it. It is difficult to do it all season, I understand that, and the play of their Pacific foes has allowed the Oilers to be a in great spot for their final 26 games.

Edmonton has 13 home games and 13 road games remaining. They play five games in February starting tomorrow at home v. Toronto, and then have four road games in Calgary, Anaheim, LA and San Jose, with the latter three after the Olympics.

Anaheim has 16 at home and 11 on the road.

LA plays 16 at home and 12 on the road.

San Jose plays 15 at home and 14 on the road.

Vegas has 14 at home and 13 on the road.

Calgary and Vancouver aren’t in the playoff race.

Edmonton has 13 games against Pacific opponents:

Vegas: Road, road and home.

San Jose: Road, home and road.

Anaheim: Road and home.

LA: Twice on the road.

Seattle: One at home.

Home to Vancouver and on the road in Calgary.

— Vegas has 11 games remaining v. Pacific teams. They play the Oilers and Vancouver three times (and both are home, home and road games), they play LA and Seattle home and away and host Calgary once.

— Seattle has nine division games remaining. They have home and away games against Vancouver, Vegas and LA. They host Calgary and are on the road in Edmonton and Anaheim.

— Anaheim has nine division games remaining. They play Edmonton, San Jose, Vancouver and Calgary twice and face each opponent once at home and once on the road. They host Seattle once.

— Los Angeles has 12 divisional games left. They play Vancouver and Calgary three times, once at home and two on the road for both. They have home and away v. Vegas and Seattle. They host Edmonton twice.

— San Jose has seven games against Pacific rivals remaining. They play Edmonton three times, twice at home and once on the road. They have home and away v. Anaheim and host Calgary and Vancouver.

The Oilers have the most games remaining against Pacific opponents. They control their destiny more than any other team they are battling for home ice advantage with. The Oilers haven’t played as consistently as they would have liked all season, yet they are still in a good position to earn home ice in the playoffs.

It is time to buckle down, be more consistent defensively and win the division for the first time since 1987. It is very attainable if they opt to play to their potential.

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