The Pacific Division is a three-horse race.
Of the eight teams in the Pacific Division, only the Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, and Edmonton Oilers have a chance at finishing with home ice for at least the first two rounds. However, the two other Canadian teams in the division – the Vancouver Canucks and the Calgary Flames – also find themselves battling for a postseason berth.
Let’s look at what has been happening in the Pacific Division since the Christmas break.

Vegas Golden Knights

The last Pacific Division Update was nearly a month ago, and not much has changed for the Vegas Golden Knights, as their 27-9-3 record has them atop of the division. Since the Christmas break, they’ve defeated the San Jose Sharks, Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers, and Buffalo Sabres, while their only defeat has come at the hands of the streaking Montréal Canadiens.
Jack Eichel has shown why he was picked second overall in the 2015 draft, racking up 11 goals and 52 points in 39 games. Captain Mark Stone is healthy and has 10 goals and 33 points in 25 games, while defenceman Shea Theodore has four goals and 31 points. Brett Howden and Ivan Barbashev are tied in the goal department with 15, but the latter was placed on the Injured Reserve recently. Pavel Dorofeyev has 14 goals and 21 points this season.
Adin Hill started his season off rocky but has returned to form lately with a .904 save percentage and a 2.58 goals against average in 25 games. Backup netminder Ilya Samsonov has a .907 save percentage and a 2.69 goals against average in 14 games.

Los Angeles Kings

Despite the loss of defenceman Drew Doughty in preseason, the Los Angeles Kings have held their own this season and have a 23-10-5 record with 51 points. In their first game after the Christmas break, they defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in overtime, before defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4. Their other two games since the break have seen them win 3-0 against the New Jersey Devils and 2-1 over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Leading in the point department for the Kings is the timeless Anže Kopitar, who has 12 goals and 39 points. Adrian Kempe’s 19 goals lead the team, while his 37 points aren’t far behind Kopitar. Alex Laferriere has 13 goals and 26 points, while former Oiler Warren Foegele has 11 goals and 23 points. Kevin Fiala has 14 goals and 22 points.
A paradox with the Los Angeles Kings is whether or not their goalies are good, or if their defence appears to make their netminders good. Last season, Cam Talbot and David Rittich benefited heavily from a structured defence core. Well, Darcy Kuemper looks terrific behind the pipes with a .920 save percentage and a 2.17 goals against average in 19 games played. When he was injured, Rittich played the majority of the games and he has an .887 save percentage and a 2.55 goals against average.

Edmonton Oilers

It looks more and more likely that the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings will battle in the first round for the fourth consecutive season. Both teams have 51 points, but the Oilers have played one more game with a 24-12-3 record. 
Their first game back saw them blow a 3-2 lead in the third period and fall 4-3 in overtime. The Oilers followed that up with a 5-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, before rattling off three consecutive wins, beating the Utah Hockey Club, the Ducks, and the Seattle Kraken.
It’s not a hot take to say that Leon Draisaitl is the front-runner for the Hart Trophy with a league-leading 29 goals and a team-leading 59 points, seven behind Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead. Connor McDavid has been good as well, scoring 15 goals and 54 points, while Zach Hyman has 13 goals and 22 points. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also has 22 points with 10 goals, while defenceman Evan Bouchard has seven goals and 30 points.
Stuart Skinner had a successful December and over his last 14 games, the netminder has a .915 save percentage and a 10-3-1 record. This season, Skinner has an .898 save percentage and a 2.78 goals against average. Backup netminder Calvin Pickard has the same save percentage, but a 2.47 goals against average.

Vancouver Canucks

Last season, the Vancouver Canucks finished first in the Pacific Division thanks to a 50-23-9 record, falling in Game 7 of the second round. This season, they look like a complete mess as they have an 18-12-9 record with 45 points. 
Since the Christmas break, they fell 5-4 in overtime to the Seattle Kraken, before falling 3-1 to the Calgary Flames to end the year. The first game of 2025 saw them beat the Kraken 4-3 in a shootout, followed by a 3-0 loss to the Nashville Predators and a 5-4 overtime loss to the Montréal Canadiens.
According to Elliotte Friedman on Saturday Headlines during the recent Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, the team may end up trading J.T. Miller or Elias Pettersson, and maybe even both of them. 
Adding insult to injury, their leading point-getter, defenceman Quinn Hughes, is out week-to-week with an injury. It’s a big loss for the Canucks, as he has eight goals and 44 points this season. Pettersson, who has scored 10 goals and 28 points this season, while J.T. Miller has eight goals and 29 points, while Jake DeBrusk’s 17 goals lead the team. Like DeBrusk and Miller, Conor Garland has 10 goals and 29 points.
Things aren’t going well between the pipes either. Thatcher Demko has played seven games this season with an .881 save percentage and a 3.34 goals against average. His most recent game saw him leave with back spasms. The Canucks saviour this season has been Kevin Lankinen, who has a. 904 save percentage and a 2.63 goals against average.

Calgary Flames

The rebuilding Calgary Flames started hot and have been able to battle for a postseason despite having their own set of problems. Last season, the team was surrounded by trade rumours, but this season they just can’t score. They have an 18-14-7 record with 43 points and since the Christmas break, they’ve defeated the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks, while losing to the Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Hockey Club, and Nashville Predators.
Jonathan Huberdeau is having his best season as a Flame, already scoring 16 goals and 29 points, with the goal total being the most he’s had in their uniform. Huberdeau leads the team in both goals and points, but Nazem Kadri isn’t far behind, scoring 14 goals and 27 points. Connor Zary is their other double-digit goal scorer with 10 goals and 22 points, while MacKenzie Weegar has four goals and 19 points.
In net, Dustin Wolf has a legitimate shot at being a Calder Memorial Trophy nominee in a stacked race and has posted a .913 save percentage and a 2.63 goals against average in 20 games played with a 12-6-2 record. He’s split the net with Daniel Vladař, who has an .888 save percentage and a 3.08 goals against average in 19 games, albeit the veteran netminder has faced the tougher opponents.

Anaheim Ducks

It looks as if the Anaheim Ducks may be turning a corner here, as they have a 17-18-4 record with 38 points. They’re out of the playoff race and don’t have the talent to push for a spot just yet, but their time is coming. 
Since the Christmas break, they fell 3-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers, before overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat the Edmonton Oilers, followed by a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils and a 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Their winning streak came to an end due to a 3-2 loss to the Oilers, but they got back in the win column with a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. That’s a pretty tough schedule and they went 4-2-0.
Troy Terry has 14 goals and 33 points, leading the team in both categories. Frank Vatrano, who signed a three-year extension on Sunday, has 11 goals and 23 points, while former Oiler Ryan Strome has seven goals and 23 points. Scoring has been an issue for the Ducks as they have the second-fewest goals in the league with 101, only four fewer than the Calgary Flames, who they play on Tuesday. The acquisition of Jacob Trouba has helped the team, but so have the goalies.
In net, Lukáš Dostál has played the bulk of the games and the young netminder has a .913 save percentage and a 2.73 goals against average in 24 games played. John Gibson is having his best season since 2018-19 posting a .914 save percentage and a 2.71 goals against average. 

Seattle Kraken

What do you think of when you think of a mediocre team? Personally, I think of the Seattle Kraken, as they aren’t quite bad enough to be fighting for a lottery spot, but are well out of the playoff race. This season, they have a 17-21-3 record with 37 points, but they also don’t have a future like the Anaheim Ducks or the San Jose Sharks. 
The Kraken won their first two games after the Christmas break, a 5-4 overtime victory over the Vancouver Canucks and a 5-2 victory over the Utah Hockey Club, but have their last three games against the Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and New Jersey Devils.
Leading the Kraken in both goals and points is Jared McCann with 13 goals and 29 points. Tied for the lead in the goal department is Jaden Schwartz, who also has 25 points. He’s one of three players with 26 points, as Oliver Bjorkstand has 11 goals and 15 assists while Chandler Stephenson has five goals and 21 assists. Defenceman Brandon Montour has eight goals and 22 points.
Their starting netminder, Joey Daccord, was recently placed on the Injured Reserved, which is a tough blow for the Kraken as he has a .912 save percentage and a 2.51 goals against average in 23 games played. Philipp Grubauer has an .880 save percentage and a 3.45 goals against average in 18 games played this season.

San Jose Sharks

Lastly, we have the San Jose Sharks, who aren’t very good but are a rather exciting team. This season, they have a 13-23-6 record with 32 points. Coming into the Christmas break, the Sharks had a five-game losing streak and continued that streak with losses to the Vegas Golden Knights, Calgary Flames, and Philadelphia Flyers. However, since the calendar flipped to 2025, the Sharks are undefeated as they’ve beat the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils.
Mikael Granlund leads the team with 35 points and has 11 goals to boot. However, Tyler Toffoli leads the team with 15 goals, posting 26 points as well, while rookie Macklin Celebrini has 13 goals and 28 points in 30 games. William Eklund is having a good season as well, scoring seven goals and 21 points in 37 games. Fabian Zetterlund and Luke Kunin each have double-digit goals, while defenceman Jake Walman has five goals and 25 points in 31 games.
Mackenzie Blackwood was playing too well for the rebuilding Sharks and they traded him to the Colorado Avalanche last month. Well, the Sharks have the same “issue” with Yaroslav Askarov putting up a .923 save percentage and a 2.30 goals against average in seven games played. Their other netminder, Alexandar Georgiev, has not been good, as the first Bulgarian-born player in the league has an .869 save percentage and a 4.08 goals against average.
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