Two months into the season and it’s clear which teams in the Pacific Division have a realistic chance of making the playoffs.
Of course, the Edmonton Oilers are one of those teams who will almost certainly be playing come spring. The three other Pacific Division teams that made it last season, the Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, and Vancouver Canucks, will all likely get in as well. The Calgary Flames continue to stick around, though they seem likely to land on the outside looking in. 
Let’s find out what’s going on in the Pacific Division.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights have an 18-7-3 record for 39 points, first in the Pacific Division and fourth in the National Hockey League. Since the last Pacific Division update, they defeated the Edmonton Oilers 1-0, the Anaheim Ducks 4-1, and the Dallas Stars 3-2.
Jack Eichel has as many points as the Knights do, with nine goals and 39 points in 28 games. Ivan Barbashev leads the team with 13 goals and has 28 points to boot. Captain Mark Stone returned recently from injury and has six points and 22 points in 14 games, while defenceman Shea Theodore has three goals and 22 points. Pavel Dorofeyev has 12 goals and 17 points.
Netminder Adin Hill’s early season struggles seem to be behind him, as he has a .905 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average in 18 games played. Ilya Samsonov has returned to earth after his good start, as he now has an .896 save percentage and a 3.16 goals-against average.

Los Angeles Kings

Despite Drew Doughty’s long-term injury sustained in pre-season, the Los Angeles Kings continue their strong play and hold onto the second spot in the Pacific Division thanks to a 16-8-3 record for 35 points. Since the last Pacific Division Update, they are 2-0 with wins over the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild.
As he’s done for a large portion of his career, Anže Kopitar leads the team in points with 31 and eight goals. Adrian Kempe has 13 goals and 26 points, while Alex Laferriere has 12 goals and 21 points. Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore each have 17 points, while former Oiler Warren Foegele has seven goals and 13 points.
Darcy Kuemper returned from injury last week and has a .907 save percentage and a 2.41 goals-against average in 11 games played. David Rittich has started the majority of the games and has an .891 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average in 17 games.

Vancouver Canucks

With the lack of Thatcher Demko to start the season, it’s clear that the Vancouver Canucks will have a hard time finishing first in the Pacific Division this season, as they have a 14-8-4 record for 32 points. They are 1-1-1 since the last Pacific Division update, with a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, a 4-2 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and a 3-2 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild.
Defenceman Quinn Hughes looks like a candidate to win his second consecutive Norris Trophy, as he has seven goals and 32 points in 25 games. Elias Pettersson has seven goals and 24 points, while Conor Garland has eight goals and 23 points. Jake DeBrusk leads the team with 12 goals to go along with his 21 points, while Pius Suter has 11 goals and 17 points.
Kevin Lankinen has filled in admirably for Demko, as he has a .908 save percentage and a 2.65 goals-against average in 20 games played. Speaking of Demko, he served as the Canucks’ backup on Sunday and will start in the coming days.

Edmonton Oilers

Don’t look now, but the Edmonton Oilers are rolling, as they’ve won nine of their last 13 games. They now have a 15-10-2 record for 32 points with a 2-1-0 week, losing 1-0 to the Vegas Golden Knights in a game they dominated, but winning games against the Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues.
Connor McDavid shows why he’s by far the best player in the league, as he has 13 goals and 37 points in 24 games this season. Leon Draisaitl isn’t too shabby either, scoring 19 goals (tied for the league lead) and 36 points. Defenceman Evan Bouchard is the only other player with more than 20 points on the team (six goals, 20 points), while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had four goals and 14 points. Zach Hyman, Darnell Nurse, Jeff Skinner, Mattias Ekholm, and Mattias Janmark each have 11 points.
Stuart Skinner’s play has improved over the last while, as he now has an .892 save percentage and a 2.92 goals-against average in 18 games played. Calvin Pickard also has an .892 save percentage, as well as a 2.56 goals-against average.

Calgary Flames

Edmonton’s provincial rival, the Calgary Flames, hasn’t had the same success since their hot start to the season. They defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, but fell 4-3 in overtime to the St. Louis Blues, as well as a 6-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Sunday. They haven’t scored four goals in a game since their third game into the season on Oct. 13, 25 games ago.
Jonathan Huberdeau’s nine goals lead the team, while his 17 points are tied for the team lead alongside Nazem Kadri, who has eight goals. Defenceman MacKenzie Weegar has four goals and 16 points, while Rasmus Andersson has six goals and 15 points after a hot start to his season.
Netminder Dustin Wolf is an early-season Calder candidate, as he has a .909 save percentage and a 2.84 goals-against average in 14 games played. He’s split time in the crease with Daniel Vladař, who has a .900 save percentage and a 2.74 goals-against average.

Seattle Kraken

Is there a more mediocre team in the league than the Seattle Kraken? This season, they have a 14-14-1 record for 29 points, three points out of a Wild Card spot. They seem to be turning it around lately, as they were 3-1-0 this week, with wins over the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, and New York Rangers, while losing 3-2 to the New Jersey Devils. Still mediocre though.
As he’s done all season, Jared McCann leads the team in both goals (10) and points (23). Oliver Bjorkstrand has been playing better lately, scoring nine goals and 20 points, while defenceman Brandon Montour has seven goals and 19 points. Chandler Stephenson, who signed the same day that Montour did, has two goals and 19 points.
Joey Daccord has solidified himself as the Kraken’s starter and for good reason, as he has a .913 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average in 19 games played. Backup Philipp Grubauer has an .870 save percentage and a 3.71 goals-against average, with a 2-8-0 record.

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks are looking a lot more competitive than last season, as they have a 10-15-5 record this season for 25 points. For context, they had 19 wins and finished with 47 wins last season. This past week, they defeated the National Hockey League-leading Washington Capitals 2-1, before falling to the two Florida teams.
Last season, the Sharks couldn’t score if their life depended on it. This season, Mikael Granlund has 10 goals and 30 points in 28 games for an above-point-per-game pace. Youngster William Eklund has five goals and 23 points, while defenceman Jake Walman has four goals and 20 points in 25 games. Tyler Toffoli leads the team in scoring with 11 goals with Fabian Zetterlund potting nine goals. Macklin Celebrini has eight goals and 15 points.
Mackenzie Blackwood was doing well for the Sharks, as he had a .910 save percentage and a 2.95 goals-against average in 19 games played. I use the past tense because, on Monday afternoon, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, with the Sharks acquiring Alexandar Georgiev, the first Bulgarian-born player in the NHL.

Anaheim Ducks

Last week’s Pacific Division Update article saw the Ducks with 23 points. Nothing has changed this week, as they lost games to the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild to give them a 10-12-3 record.
The Ducks continue to have issues scoring, as Troy Terry, Frank Vatrano, and Leo Carlsson lead the team with six goals each. Terry has 19 points to lead the team, while former Oiler Ryan Strome has five goals and 12 points in 25 games. Trevor Zegras has four goals and 10 points but is out with a leg injury.
Anaheim’s main strength is their goaltending. Lukáš Dostál has played 15 games and has a .921 save percentage and a 2.73 goals-against average for a 6-7-2 record. The returning John Gibson has played well, as he has a .914 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average as he’s taken over the starter role.
The Ducks made a big splash on the trade market, acquiring defenceman Jacob Trouba from the New York Rangers. The former captain of the blue and red has yet to make his debut for Anaheim.
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