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What’s Going On In The Pacific Division: The Oilers and Canucks have had rough starts to their season
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Photo credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Oct 16, 2024, 19:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 16, 2024, 19:16 EDT
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The regular season has been chugging along for a little over a week now, which begs the question: What’s going on in the Pacific Division?
Last season, the Vancouver Canucks won the division, with the Stanley Cup Final-bound Edmonton Oilers finishing second. However, both teams sit at the bottom of the basement while the other Canadian Pacific Division team sits atop the division.
Let’s take a look at all of that in the first What’s Going On In The Pacific Division of 2024-25!

Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks had a late start to their season, beginning on Saturday while most teams started on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Well, they shutout the San Jose Sharks 2-0, but fell 3-1 when facing the Vegas Golden Knights on the second night of a back-to-back.
There have been three goal scorers for the Ducks, Troy Terry, Isac Lundeström, and Trevor Zegras. Moreover, Cam Fowler, Brock McGinn, and Brett Leason all have assists. Netminder Lukáš Dostál picked up the 30-save shutout against the Sharks, while backup James Reimer saved 29 of 32 shots against the Golden Knights.
On Wednesday, the Ducks return to action in their home opener against the 3-1-0 Utah Hockey Club.

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames run the Pacific Division.
Down 4-1 in their first game of the season last Wednesday, the Flames scored four unanswered to take a lead, before eventually winning 6-5 in overtime against the Vancouver Canucks. They hit the six-goal plateau in the following game against the Philadelphia Flyers, winning that one 6-3.
On the second game of a back-to-back, the Flames defeated the Oilers 4-1, before beating the Chicago Blackhawks at home 3-1 to move their season record to 4-0-0. As it stands, they are just one of four undefeated teams in the league.
Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team in goals with three, as well as a tie for the team lead in points with six. Defenceman Rasmus Andersson also has six points, while Connor Zary, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Martin Pospíšil each have five points.
Dustin Wolf and Daniel Vladař have split the crease through four games, with the former posting a .944 save percentage and a 2.02 goals-against average. Vladař hasn’t had the same success, as his save percentage stands at .880 while his goals-against average sits at 2.96.
The Flames’ next game is on Saturday at 8 p.m. MT, as they head to Seattle to face the Kraken

Edmonton Oilers

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the Edmonton Oilers. Their rise from a 2-9-1 start to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final is well known, but they have once again had a tough start.
In the first game of the season, they were shut out 6-0 by the Winnipeg Jets. It wasn’t much better in the second game, as they lost 5-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks, falling 4-1 to the Calgary Flames the next day. The Oilers finally got a win on Tuesday, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in overtime in comeback fashion to bring their season record to 1-3-0.
Early in the season, Connor McDavid hasn’t looked like his regular self, picking up four assists in four games. Leon Draisaitl leads the team in goals with two, while Jeff Skinner has a goal and three points. Corey Perry, Adam Henrique, Connor Brown, and Evan Bouchard all have a goal as well.
Stuart Skinner has started three of the four games and has an abysmal .845 save percentage and a 4.42 goals-against average, being pulled after five goals against the Jets in the season opener. Calvin Pickard has played in two games and has a .778 save percentage and a 4.17 goals-against average.
The Oilers finally play their first game away from home on Thursday, as they head to Nashville to face the slumping Predators.

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings have a habit of finishing third in the Pacific Division, and it’s currently where they reside in the standings. So far this season, they are undefeated in regulation, going 1-0-2.
Their season opener saw a 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, before heading to Boston to face the Bruins in a low-scoring game they lost 2-1 in overtime. It was the complete opposite in their next game in Ottawa against the Senators, as they lost a wild 8-7 game in overtime.
Early this season, Anže Kopitar leads the team in goals and points with three and six respectively. Kevin Fiala, Alex Laferriere, Adrian Kempe, and Brandt Clarke each have three points, while Quinton Byfield has two assists in three games.
On Wednesday, the Kings road trip continues as they face the Toronto Maple Leafs at 5:30 PM MT. They’ll immediately travel to Montréal to face the Canadiens on Thursday, before continuing their long road trip out west against the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights.

San Jose Sharks

Everyone knows the San Jose Sharks are going to be bad, but the question becomes how bad. Well, they’ve already picked up two points thanks to two overtime loses, bringing their record to 0-1-2.
In their season opener, they fell 5-4 in overtime to the St. Louis Blues, before losing 2-0 to the Anaheim Ducks in a back-to-back. Heading to Dallas on Tuesday, they brought it to a shootout, losing 3-2.
The first overall pick from 2024, Macklin Celebrini, scored and picked up an assist in the Sharks season opener, but was placed on the injured reserve shortly after. Former Flame Tyler Toffoli leads the team in both goals and points, scoring twice and picking up an additional assist. Mackenzie Blackwood has been solid for the Sharks, posting a .910 save percentage and a 3.34 goals-against average in two games played.
While the Sharks will be bad, they seemingly have more scoring power than last season, so don’t be surprised if they improve slightly from last season. Their fourth game of the season comes on Thursday, as they head to Chicago to face the Blackhawks.

Seattle Kraken

The newest National Hockey League franchise is off to a solid start, picking up two wins in four games to begin the 2024-25 season.
In the season opener, they fell 3-2 to the St. Louis Blues as they allowed three goals in a short span after taking a 2-0 lead. However, the Kraken rebounded in the second game of the season, defeating the Minnesota Wild 5-4 in a shootout. They were then shut out by the Dallas Stars in their first road game of the season, before throttling the Nashville Predators on Tuesday by a score of 7-3.
Captain Jordan Eberle leads the team in goals with three and is also tied for the lead in points with four. Jared McCann also has four points with two goals and two assists, while Ryker Evans has a goal and three points. Moreover, the Kraken has 10 players with two points as it looks to be another “scoring by committee” season for the 32nd franchise.
Goaltending has been a bit of a problem for the Kraken, as Philipp Grubauer has an .896 save percentage with a 2.59 goals-against average in two games. Joey Daccord hasn’t been much better, rocking a .901 save percentage and a 3.37 goals-against average in two games played.
The Kraken return home on Thursday as they host the Philadelphia Flyers. This will kick off a five-game home stand for the Kraken, as they’ll also host the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, and Carolina Hurricanes.

Vancouver Canucks

The reigning Pacific Division champions are having a tough start to their season, as they currently have a 1-0-2 record three games into the season.
In their season opener against the Calgary Flames, they had a 4-1 lead but allowed the Flames to score four unanswered goals. The Canucks eventually pushed it to overtime but fell 6-5 after a nice goal from Connor Zary. In the second game of the season, the Canucks fell 3-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers, while losing 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
So far this season, only two players are point-per-game, as both Conor Garland and Brock Boeser have two goals and an assist. J.T Miller has a goal and an assist, while Quinn Hughes also has two assists. Elias Pettersson has played three games while picking up one assist.
Goaltending has been a sore spot for the Canucks, as Thatcher Demko is still out of the lineup due to injury. Artūrs Šilovs has had a rough start, posting an .827 save percentage and a 4.50 goals-against average in his two games. Kevin Lankinen has been better, as he has a .935 save percentage and a 1.85 goals-against average in the only game he has played.
The Canucks continue their road trip on Thursday, as they’ll take on the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. Following that game, they’ll play the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday before returning home next Saturday.

Vegas Golden Knights

Lastly, we have the Vegas Golden Knights, who are off to a 3-1-0 start this season.
They blew out the winless Colorado Avalanche 8-4 in the season opener, before overcoming the St. Louis Blues with a 4-3 victory. Last Sunday, they defeated the Anaheim Ducks 3-1, before losing their first game of the season to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.
Mark Stone and Jack Eichel lead the team in points, as they each have two goals and eight points in four games. Ivan Barbashev and Victor Olofsson each have three goals (the former has seven points), while defenceman Shea Theodore has five points. Moreover, Tomáš Hertl and Alex Pietrangelo have three points.
Despite the 3-1-0 record, goaltending hasn’t been great for the Golden Knights. Starter Adin Hill has an .855 save percentage and a 3.72 goals-against average in three games, but Ilya Samsonov has a .957 save percentage and a 1 goals-against average in the only game he has played.
Like the Canucks, the Golden Knights are in the midst of a road trip, and on Thursday, they’ll face the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

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