With the holiday break, it’s clear which teams are playoff contenders: the Vegas Golden Knights, Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks. The other three teams, the Seattle Kraken, Calgary Flames, and Vancouver Canucks are all in the hunt to land Gavin McKenna.

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 the following week. Let’s take a look at the week that was.

Anaheim Ducks

It wasn’t a great week for the Anaheim Ducks, as they’ve lost the top spot in the division. They fell 5-2 to the New York Islanders, then 4-1 to the New Jersey Devils. On Monday, the Ducks defeated the New York Rangers 4-1, but fell 4-3 in overtime to the Columbus Blue Jackets to end their five-game road trip 2-2-1.

Before the holiday break, they host the Dallas Stars on Friday, the Blue Jackets on Saturday, and the Seattle Kraken on Monday.

Calgary Flames

The Flames had a light schedule last week, playing just two games. They defeated the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 in overtime on Saturday, but fell 6-3 to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. As of the writing of this article, the Flames have the second-fewest points in the National Hockey League and sit seven points out of a playoff spot.

On Thursday, they return home to host the Seattle Kraken, then host the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Two days before Christmas, the Flames will head up north on Highway 2 to face the Edmonton Oilers.

Edmonton Oilers

Speaking of the Oilers, they’re starting to get out of their early season funk. On Thursday, they defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-1, traded Stuart Skinner for Tristan Jarry on Friday, then beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 on Saturday. In the second game of a back-to-back, the Oilers fell 4-1 to the Montréal Canadiens, but responded with a 6-4 win over Jarry’s former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It’s a busy week before the holiday break for the Oilers, as they play the Boston Bruins on Thursday, the final game on the road against an Eastern Conference team. They finish up the road trip with a matchup against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, then return home to host the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday and the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Kings

It was a rough week for the Los Angeles Kings, as they were passed by the Oilers for the third spot in the Pacific Division. They fell 2-1 in overtime to the Flames on Saturday, then lost 4-1 to the Dallas Stars and 3-2 to the Florida Panthers.

The game against the Panthers is the first of a back-to-back, as they head northwest to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. After three days off, the Kings host the Blue Jackets and Kraken for a back-to-back at home.

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks have shown no signs of slowing down, as they’ve won their last three games. They defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime on Thursday, then beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-5 in overtime after overcoming a 5-1 deficit with 12:30 left in the game. Finally, they defeated the Calgary Flames 6-3 on Tuesday.

As of the writing of this article, the Sharks occupy the final wild card spot. They’ll host the Dallas Stars on Thursday and the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, before hitting the road to play the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.

Seattle Kraken

The National Hockey League’s most forgettable franchise had a rough week, losing all three games they played. On Friday, the Seattle Kraken fell 5-3 to the Utah Mammoth, then lost 3-1 to the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday and 5-3 to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

This week will be entirely spent on the road, as they embark on a four-game road trip that’ll take them to Calgary on Thursday, San Jose on Saturday, Anaheim on Monday, and Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Vancouver Canucks

If you didn’t know, the Vancouver Canucks traded their captain, Quinn Hughes, to the Minnesota Wild on Friday. The night before, they fell 3-2 to the Buffalo Sabres, but have won their last two games, a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils in Newark and a 3-0 victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

Before the holiday break, the Canucks will play the last three games of their Eastern Conference road trip. They’ll back back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, playing the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins respectively, before traveling to Philadelphia to face the Flyers on Monday.

Vegas Golden Knights

As per usual, the Vegas Golden Knights are at the top of the Pacific Division. This week, they were 2-1-0, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in overtime on Thursday, beating the Columbus Blue Jackets by the same score (albeit in regulation) to end their road trip. Returning home, they fell 2-1 in a shootout to the New Jersey Devils, giving them a division leading 42 points.

This week, they’ll play a back-to-back over the weekend in Alberta, playing the Calgary Flames on Saturday and the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. They’ll head for a break after hosting the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

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