More than two weeks into the 2024-25 season and the Calgary Flames have not been extinguished yet.
This is the second edition of What’s Going On In The Pacific Division this season, and in this article, we’ll look at the Flames’ success, the Oilers’ rough start (again), and how the other six teams in the division are doing!
Let’s dig in.

Anaheim Ducks

Last Wednesday, the Anaheim Ducks had only played two games, but have played four since last week. In that span, they are 2-1-1 thanks to wins over the Utah Hockey Club and San Jose Sharks, as well as an overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
Looking at that overtime loss to the 2022 Stanley Cup champions, the Ducks were out shot 49-19, yet dragged a dangerous Avalanche team to overtime for the extra point. Netminder Lukáš Dostál saved 45 of 49 shots for a .918 save percentage. He’s clearly the goaltender of the future for the Ducks and has a .936 save percentage and a 2.19 goals-against average in five games this season.
As for the rest of the Ducks, Troy Terry has been their best skater, as he has four goals and five points in six games. There’s no sign of a sophomore slump for Leo Carlsson, who has three goals and four points, while Ryan Strome and defenceman Pavel Mintyukov each have two goals.

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames just can’t seem to lose in regulation. Last Wednesday, they had a 4-0-0 record and only played two games since the last article.
In the first game, they lost 2-1 in overtime in what was an uneventful game against the Seattle Kraken. They showed resiliency in Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, managing to even up the game twice, including a goal with just 43 seconds left in the game to tie it.
Everything seems to be clicking for the Flames this season. Defencemen MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson are tied for the team lead with three goals, while Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri (who scored the game-tying goal) have three goals as well. Moreover, Connor Zary, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Martin Pospíšil each have five points.
Goaltending has been great as well. Dustin Wolf has shown why he’s one of the league’s best goaltending prospects, as he has a 3-0-0 record with a .936 save percentage and a 2.30 goals-against average in three games. Aside from a rough first period in the season opener, Daniel Vladař has been solid, bringing his season save percentage to .890 while his goals-against average sits at 2.63. He has a 2-0-1 record this season.

Edmonton Oilers

From Alberta’s best to Alberta’s worst, the Edmonton Oilers are once again having a tough start to their season. Since last week’s What’s Going On In The Pacific Division (WGOITPD), the Oilers are 1-1-1.
They defeated the Nashville Predators last Thursday but suffered a 4-1 defeat to the Dallas Stars on Sunday. On Tuesday, they blew a 2-0 lead to the Carolina Hurricanes, losing 3-2 in overtime.
Connor McDavid has found his form though, scoring three goals and eight points this season while being in the midst of a six-game point streak. Leon Draisaitl is tied for the team lead in goals with three, while Jeff Skinner has been the team’s best off-season signing, scoring two goals and four points. Other than that, scoring has been almost non-existent, as former Flame Brett Kulak is the only other player with more than a goal.
Speaking of non-existent, it’s been a rough season for Stuart Skinner, who has an .866 save percentage and a 3.74 goals-against average in five games played, along with a 1-3-1 record. Backup Calvin Pickard hasn’t been any better, as he has an .852 save percentage and a 3.28 goals-against average.

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings started their 2023-24 season off with an 11-game road winning streak, before losing their first game in overtime. This season, they’ve yet to play a home game.
Since last week’s article, the Kings have played four games, losing 6-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs, before defeating the Montréal Canadiens 4-1. They played their first game against a Western Conference team last Sunday, defeating the Anaheim Ducks 4-1, before losing 6-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
So far this season, their 37-year-old captain Anže Kopitar leads the team with eight points and three goals, while Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere are tied for the team lead in goals with four. Adrian Kempe has also had a solid start to his season, scoring three goals and six points.
Darcy Kuemper was recently placed on the injured reserve, meaning that two goalies on the active roster are former Flame David Rittich and North Pole (Alaska) native Pheonix Copley. Rittich has played four games and has an .859 save percentage and a 3.39 goals-against average.

San Jose Sharks

Through their first 11 games to start the 2023-24 season, the San Jose Sharks were 0-10-1 before finally defeating the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 7, 2023. It’s trending to be the same type of season for the Sharks, as they are 0-5-2 to start the season.
Since last week’s article, they are 0-3-0 with losses to the Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets, and Colorado Avalanche, with the Jets’ game ending with an 8-3 score. Oof.
A lone bright spot for the Sharks this season has been Tyler Toffoli, who has a team-leading four goals and seven points in seven games. Mikael Granlund, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, has a goal and seven points. Fabian Zetterlund has three goals, while rookie William Eklund has a goal and five points in six games. Fellow rookie, Macklin Celebrini, will be out another two weeks at the very least.
Despite the surface-level numbers for their netminders, goaltending has been okay for the Sharks, specifically Mackenzie Blackwood. This season, the netminder has an .896 save percentage and a 4.09 goals-against average in four games played. Vítek Vaněček hasn’t done as well, as he has an .884 save percentage and a 3.14 goals-against average in four games played.

Seattle Kraken

So far this season, the Seattle Kraken are 4-3, but are also the only team to defeat the Calgary Flames. They should be proud.
In their last three games, they won a high-scoring affair against the Philadelphia Flyers 6-4, before winning a low-event game 2-1 in overtime against the Flames. The Kraken’s three-game winning streak was snapped on Tuesday as they fell 3-2 to the Colorado Avalanche.
Jared McCann leads the team with nine points while also potting four goals, while Jordan Eberle’s five goals are the most on the team. Interestingly, only two other players (Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen) have two-goal seasons, but eight other players have at least a goal. One of which is defenceman Vince Dunn, who was placed on the long-term injured reserve on Monday.
The Kraken still uses a 1A/1B tandem, which probably isn’t the right choice as Joey Daccord is quickly making a name for himself. This season, he has a .914 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average in three games played, going 3-0-0. Philipp Grubauer on the other hand, has an .881 save percentage and a 3.10 goals-against average in four games with a 1-3-0 record. Daccord should be their primary starter going forward.

Vancouver Canucks

After a 0-1-2 start to their season, the Vancouver Canucks have turned things around since the last WGOITPD, going 3-0-0.
They defeated the reigning Stanley Cup champions 3-2, before shutting out the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. On Tuesday’s Frozen Frenzy, where a game started every 15 minutes, they doubled up the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 6-3.
So far this season, the Canucks have four point-per-game players, as Brock Boeser, J.T. Miller, Conor Garland, and Quinn Hughes each have six points. Boeser’s four goals lead the team, while Miller and Garland each have three goals. Other multi-goal scorers on the team are Danton Heinen, Teddy Blueger, and Nils Höglander. Just wait until Jake DeBrusk and Elias Pettersson get going, as both players haven’t scored yet.
It’s a tale of two netminders as Thatcher Demko remains on the shelf. Artūrs Šilovs hasn’t had a great season, posting an .827 save percentage and a 4.50 goals-against average in two games played. On the other hand, Kevin Lankinen has a .941 save percentage, a 1.70 goals-against average, and a 3-0-1 record in the four games he appeared in. It’s clear who’ll be the backup when Demko returns.

Vegas Golden Knights

Lastly, we have the Vegas Golden Knights, who have a 4-2-1 record this season. However, they have gone 1-1-1 since the last article.
They fell 4-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning last Thursday, the same score as their overtime defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers on Saturday. However, they ended a three-game losing streak on Tuesday, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 6-1.
Captain Mark Stone is tied for third in league scoring with 12 points, managing three goals and 12 points. Jack Eichel has had a similar start to his season, scoring two goals and 11 points. Ivan Barbashev leads the team in goals with five (and nine points), while Tomáš Hertl, Pavel Dorofeyev, Brett Howden, and Victor Olofsson each have three goals, the latter is out with an injury. Moreover, seven other players have at least one goal.
Of their two netminders, Ilya Samsonov continues to be the better goalie, as he has a .943 save percentage and a 1.95 goals-against average in three games played, along with a 2-0-1 record. Adin Hill hasn’t had a great start to the season, as he has an .851 save percentage and a 3.81 goals-against average in four games played with a 2-2-0 record.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.