Simply put, the Pacific Division is the weakest of the four divisions in the league. As it stands, there are just three teams in a playoff spot, the lowest number a division can have. It’s becoming increasingly likely the only teams representing the Pacific Division in the playoffs are the Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, and Vegas Golden Knights.

This is What’s Going On In the Pacific Division, the weekly article where we look at how teams from the division fared, as well as setting up what’s next for all eight teams.

Anaheim Ducks

Since the latest edition of this article, the Ducks have won all three games they’ve played. On Friday, they defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-1, followed by a 6-5 overtime victory over the Buffalo Sabres, then a 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. The Ducks are starting to pull away from the Oilers and Golden Knights, as they have 84 wins with a game in hand over both teams.

It’s a busy week for the Ducks, as they face the Calgary Flames on the road on Thursday, before finishing their three-game road trip in Edmonton against the Oilers. They’ll return home for one game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, before heading to Northern California to face the San Jose Sharks.

Calgary Flames

If the Calgary Flames played all 82 games at home, they’d win the Presidents’ Trophy. This past week, they picked up a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers, a 4-3 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, and a 3-2 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings. It has hurt their tanking chances quite a bit, as they now are tied for the third-fewest points with 67.

The Flames are back in action this week, hosting the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday and the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. After that, they’ll hit the road to take on the Colorado Avalanche.

Edmonton Oilers

As has been the case for most of the season, it was a pretty inconsistent week for the Edmonton Oilers. After losing 4-0 to the Florida Panthers last Thursday, they followed that up with a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. However, they soundly defeated the Utah Mammoth 5-2 on Tuesday. With 79 points, the Oilers sit second in the Pacific Division, but five points behind the Ducks.

They’ll play the Ducks on Saturday, but first is a matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. Their other game this week is on Tuesday, hosting the Seattle Kraken.

Los Angeles Kings

It’s looking as if the Los Angeles Kings will miss the post-season ast their 74 points have them four games behind the Nashville Predators. While there’s still time to make up those points, the two teams are heading in the opposite direction. The Predators have won their last five, while the Kings are on a four-game losing streak. This past week, they fell 4-1 to the Buffalo Sabres, 4-3 in overtime to the Utah Mammoth, and 3-2 in a shootout to the Flames.

This week, the Kings play the final game of a three-game road trip against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, before hosting the Mammoth on Saturday and the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.

San Jose Sharks

The Kings have started to slip, but the San Jose Sharks have started to free fall, as their 70 points have them seven points out of a spot. On a five-game losing streak, they fell 4-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and 6-3 to the Predators on Tuesday.

This coming week, the Sharks play two more road games, one against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday and the other against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. They’ll return home to host the Blues on Monday, before finishing their week with a matchup against the Ducks on Wednesday.

Seattle Kraken

Things haven’t gone the Seattle Kraken’s way either, as they’re in the midst of a four-game losing streak. This past week, they fell 5-2 to the Blue Jackets and 5-4 in a shootout to the Panthers. Over their last 10, they are 2-7-1, which has them five points out of a playoff spot.

Their last three games have been on the road, and they’ll continue that road trip with a matchup against the Lightning on Thursday, the Sabres on Saturday, and the Oilers on Tuesday.

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks are the first team eliminated from playoff contention in the Western Conference. Last week did them no favours, falling 3-1 to the Blues and 5-3 to the Ducks. Their 50 points are the fewest in the league by a wide margin, and they’ll have the highest odds to land Gavin McKenna.

It’s a busy week for the British Columbia based team, hosting the Kings on Thursday before hitting the road to face the Flames on Saturday, the Golden Knights on Monday, and the Avalanche on Wednesday.

Vegas Golden Knights

As for the Golden Knights, they currently sit third in the Pacific Division, one point behind the Oilers and six behind the Ducks. It wasn’t a great week for them, as they fell 4-1 to both the Predators and Winnipeg Jets, but were able to defeat the Dallas Stars 3-2. Ideally, they fall out of playoff contention as the Flames have their first round pick unprotected.

They play an important game against the Oilers on Thursday at home, then host the Washington Capitals on Saturday and the Vancouver Canucks on Monday.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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