We’ve got quite the race in the Pacific Division. 
As of the start of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Edmonton Oilers hold the top spot with 72 points, the same total that the Vegas Golden Knights have. However, the Oilers own the tiebreaker thanks to having one fewer game played.
The Los Angeles Kings occupy the third spot with a 29-17-7 record and 65 points, while the Vancouver Canucks hold on to the final Wild Spot thanks to a 26-18-11 record with 63 points. With that being said, the Calgary Flames aren’t far behind with a 26-21-8 record with 60 points. Then you have the Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken, and San Jose Sharks, who are all well out of the playoff race at this stage. 
Let’s take a look at what has happened in the Pacific Division since our last update on Jan. 23.

Edmonton Oilers

Record: 34-17-4 (72 points)
It’s been very stop/start for the Oilers for the Edmonton Oilers since Jan .23. They ended a two-game losing streak with a 6-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, before a 3-2 win and a 4-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres and Seattle Kraken respectively. In their final game in January, they fell 3-2 in a shootout to the Detroit Red Wings, followed by a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, followed by a pair of overtime wins against the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks. The Oilers’ final game before the break was a 5-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
Leon Draisaitl is the front-runner for the Hart Memorial Trophy, as he has a league-leading 40 goals with 83 points, four back of the league lead. Although Connor McDavid hasn’t played to his normal standard since returning to the lineup after his suspension, he has 22 goals and 71 points in 49 games. Evan Bouchard has nine goals and 44 points, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has 15 goals and 35 points, and Zach Hyman has 19 goals and 32 points.  Jeff Skinner and Corey Perry also have double-digit goals.
Goaltending has been a concern this season. Stuart Skinner has been okay, with a .900 save percentage and a 2.74 goals-against average in 37 games. Calvin Pickard has a .901 save percentage and a 2.52 goals-against average in 21 games played. It may be a position they upgrade before the Mar. 7 trade deadline.

Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 33-17-6 (72 points)
Like the Oilers, the Vegas Golden Knights have had a rough couple of weeks by their standards. Since Jan. 23, they are 4-3-2 with wins over the St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils, and Boston Bruins. Before their last two wins, they were 3-8-3.
Jack Eichel is on pace for his best season in the league as he has 19 goals and 69 points in 55 games. Leading the team in scoring is Pavel Dorofeyev with 23 goals, while Tomáš Hertl has 21 goals and 42 points. Captain Mark Stone has 14 goals and 49 points, while defenceman Shea Theodore has seven goals and 48 points in 55 games. Other double-digit goal scorers are Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden, Keegan Kolesar, and Victor Olofsson.
Similar to the Oilers, the Vegas Golden Knights have had their own struggles in the net. Adin Hill has a .900 save percentage with a 2.64 goals-against average in 34 games played, with a 20-10-4 record. Ilya Samsonov has an .897 save percentage and a 2.72 goals-against average.

Los Angeles Kings

Record: 29-17-7 (65 points)
One team that hasn’t had problems in the net is the Los Angeles Kings. Since Jan. 23, they are 3-3-2 with wins over the Carolina Hurricanes, Montréal Canadiens, and Dallas Stars. On the other hand, they’ve lost to the Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning, as well as the Columbus Blue Jackets in overtime and the Anaheim Ducks in a shootout.
Leading the Edmonton Oilers’ son in goals and points is Adrian Kempe, as he has 25 goals and 46 points. Anže Kopitar has 13 goals and 45 points and Kevin Fiala has 21 goals and 35 points. After a hot start, Alex Laferriere has 14 goals and 30 points. Former Oiler Warren Foegele has 14 goals and 28 points while Quinton Byfield also has 14 goals and 30 points in total.
Darcy Kuemper has been terrific in net, posting a .919 save percentage and a 2.15 goals-against average in 29 games played with a 16-6-6 record. David Rittich hasn’t done nearly as well, as he has an .892 save percentage and a 2.55 goals-against average in 25 games played.

Vancouver Canucks

Record: 26-18-11 (63 points)
Sitting in the final Wild Card spot are the Vancouver Canucks thanks to a 26-18-11 record. Since Jan. 23, they are 6-2-1 with wins over the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Their strong play has catapulted them into the final Wild Card with some separation over the Calgary Flames.
A big reason for that is the play of their captain Quinn Hughes. The defenceman has 14 goals and 59 points and is surely the front-runner for the James Norris Trophy. Leading the team in goals is Jake DeBrusk with 19 with Brock Boeser’s 18 goals hot on his trail. Conor Garland, Pius Suter, Kiefer Sherwood, and Elias Pettersson all have double-digit goals.
In net, a big reason why they are where they are is because of Kevin Lankinen who aside from Hughes, has been their team MVP. This season, the Finnish netminder has a .905 save percentage and a 2.53 goals-against average in 34 games played. Thatcher Demko has an .891 save percentage and a 2.87 goals-against average but has been playing better recently.

Calgary Flames

Record: 26-21-8 (60 points)
The rebuilding Calgary Flames are pushing for a Wild Card spot. However, it’s been a tough few weeks for the Edmonton Oilers’ little brother as they have a 4-5-1 record since Jan. 23. Their most recent game saw them blow a 2-0 lead in the third period to the Seattle Kraken.
Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team with 21 goals and 41 points in 55 games this season, followed by Nazem Kadri’s 19 goals and 40 points. Their leading point-getter for a defenceman is MacKenzie Weegar, who has six goals and 31 points while Rasmus Andersson has eight goals and 21 points. Other double-digit scorers for the team are Matt Coronato, Blake Coleman, Connor Zary, Yegor Sharangovich, and Mikael Backlund.
In net, Dustin Wolf looks like he’ll be a Calder Memorial Trophy finalist as he has a .912 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average in 33 games. Without him, the Flames would be in the basement of the Pacific Division. Daniel Vladař has an .888 save percentage and a 3.07 goals-against average in 22 games played.

Anaheim Ducks

Record: 24-24-6 (54 points)
Moving to the rather irrelevant teams, the Anaheim Ducks have taken a step forward this season as they are the third-worst team in the Pacific Division instead of the second-worst team. Since Jan. 23, they have the win percentage for teams in the division with a 6-1-0 record, with their lone loss coming against the Calgary Flames. Their two most impressive wins are their last two – a 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars and a 2-1 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings.
Leading the team in points is Troy Terry with 39 and his 16 goals are tied alongside Frank Vatrano, who has 30 points. Another player with 30 points is former Edmonton Oiler Ryan Strome, who has seven goals. Mason McTavish (13 goals and 27 points) and Alexander Killorn (11 goals and 24 points) are the two players with double-digit goals. Defenceman Jackson LaCombe has nine goals and 24 points.
In net, potential future Oiler John Gibson has a .915 save percentage and a 2.65 goals-against average in 23 games played with a 9-9-2 record. The Ducks can afford to trade him because of Lukáš Dostal, who has a .911 save percentage and a 2.86 goals-against average in 32 games played.

Seattle Kraken

Record: 24-29-4 (52 points)
Name a more mediocre team in the league than the Seattle Kraken. After adding Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour in free agency, they have a 24-29-4 record with 52 points, fourth-worst in the Western Conference. Since Jan. 23, they are 3-5-1 with wins over the Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, and Calgary Flames.
Leading the team in goals is Jaden Schwartz, who has 18 goals with 36 points to boot. Jared McCann leads the team with 42 points with 14 goals and they have a whole bunch of double-digit goal scorers. Eeli Tolvanen has 16, Oliver Bjorkstrand has 15, Matty Beniers has 13, Shane Wright has 12, defencemen Vince Dunn and Montour have 10 each, as does Stephenson.
Joey Daccord has been great for the Kraken this season as he has a .916 save percentage and a 2.46 goals-against average in 38 games with a 19-14-3 record. With Philipp Grubauer being sent down, the Kraken called up Aleš Stezka, who has yet to make his National Hockey League debut.

San Jose Sharks

Record: 15-35-7 (37 points)
The San Jose Sharks are bad. Since Jan. 23, they are 1-5-1 with their lone coming against the equally bad Pittsburgh Penguins. With the worst point total in the league, it looks like the Sharks are destined to land a high-overall pick… again.
After trading Mikael Granlund and former Edmonton Oiler Cody Ceci, Macklin Celebrini is tied for the team lead in points with William Eklund. Their first overall pick in 2024 has 17 goals and 40 points while Eklund has 11 goals and 40 points. Leading the team in goals is Tyler Toffoli with 20 goals and 36 points with Fabian Zetterlund scoring 15 goals and 33 points in 57 games.
The Sharks had two good goaltenders this season. Mackenzie Blackwood had a .911 save percentage and a 2.95 goals-against average before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche. Yaroslav Askarov had an .896 save percentage and a 3.10 goals against average, but he was sent back down to the American Hockey League. That leaves Vítek Vaněček and Alexandar Georgiev, who each have a save percentage below .880 and a goals-against average of 4.01.

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