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What’s Going On In The Pacific Division: The Flames maintain a post-season spot
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Photo credit: © Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jan 22, 2025, 17:30 ESTUpdated: Jan 22, 2025, 17:11 EST
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There are five teams with a real shot to make the post-season in the Pacific Division.
As it stands, the Vegas Golden Knights maintain their hold of the Pacific Division thanks to a 29-14-4 record with 62 points but the Edmonton Oilers aren’t far behind with their 29-15-3 record with 61 points. Third in the division are the Los Angeles Kings, who have a 25-14-5 record with 55 points and three fewer games played than the Knights and Oilers.
Holding onto the final Wild Card spot are the Calgary Flames, who have a 22-16-7 record with 51 points. Trailing them are the Vancouver Canucks, who have a 20-16-10 record with 50 points. The Seattle Kraken aren’t out of it just yet, with a 21-24-3 record with 45 points.
As usual, the two teams at the bottom of the division are the Anaheim Ducks (18-23-6 with 42 points) and the San Jose Sharks (14-30-6 with 34 points).

Anaheim Ducks

It wasn’t a great week for the Anaheim Ducks, as they lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-0 to the Florida Panthers, before losing 5-2 to the Panthers once again. They are now on a four-game losing streak and have just one win in their last eight games.
Troy Terry’s 15 goals and 35 points lead the team, while Frank Vatrano is the only other player with double-digit goals (12). Moreover, Ryan Strome has seven goals and 26 points, and defenceman Jackson LaCombe has eight goals and 20 points. In net, Lukáš Dostál has regressed a bit as he now has a .907 save percentage and a 2.96 goals against average in 28 games played. John Gibson has a .911 save percentage and a 2.80 goals against average in 19 games played.
This week, the Ducks host the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators, before heading on the road to take on the Seattle Kraken next Tuesday.

Calgary Flames

It wasn’t a busy week for the Flames, as they played just two games. In their first game, they fell 4-1 to the St. Louis Blues, before defeating the Winnipeg Jets 3-1 thanks to fantastic performance from Dustin Wolf.
Speaking of Wolf, the 23-year-old netminder has a .917 save percentage and a 2.50 goals against average in 25 games this season and is a legitimate candidate to win the Calder Memorial Trophy. Leading the team in both goals and points is Jonathan Huberdeau with 18 and 32 respectively, while Nazem Kadri has 15 goals and 29 points. Blake Coleman, Matt Coronato, and Connor Zary all have double-digit goals.
From a light schedule to a heavy schedule, the Flames return to action on Thursday as they’ll host the Buffalo Sabres. After, they’ll play two games, a back-to-back against the Minnesota Wild and Jets, before returning home to face the league-leading Washington Capitals. A tough week is an understatement.

Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers didn’t have the best week, defeating the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche in comeback fashion, before falling 3-2 to the Vancouver Canucks and the Washington Capitals. At the end of the game against the Canucks, captain Connor McDavid cross-checked Conor Garland in the head and received a three-game suspension.
Leon Draisaitl leads the league with 34 goals and the team with 71 points, while McDavid has 20 goals and 65 points. Defenceman Evan Bouchard has eight goals and 35 points, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman are the other players with double-digit goals. In net, Stuart Skinner has an .899 save percentage and a 2.71 goals against average in 32 games this season.
The Oilers’ home stand continues this week, first up is a rematch with the Vancouver Canucks, before an afternoon game against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. McDavid returns against the Seattle Kraken on Monday to end the week.

Los Angeles Kings

It wasn’t a great week for the Los Angeles Kings either, as they went 1-2-0, with their only win, a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, benefiting the Flames. They fell 4-2 to the Seattle Kraken and 5-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Anže Kopitar has 12 goals and 43 points, leading the team in the latter category alongside Adrian Kempe, who leads the team with 23 goals. Alex Laferriere is still stuck on 13 goals, while Kevin Fiala has 15 goals and Warren Foegele has 12. In net Darcy Kuemper’s exceptional play has continued, as he has a .922 save percentage and a 2.06 goals against average in 23 games played. Former Flame David Rittich has an .886 save percentage and a 2.60 goals against average in 22 games played.
This week, the Kings host the Florida Panthers, before heading on an Eastern Conference road trip, facing the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings to end their week.

San Jose Sharks

As is the case with the Sharks usually, they are on a losing streak as they lost all four games they played this week. First up was a pair of 4-1 defeats at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders, before being doubled up 6-3 against the Boston Bruins. It looked as if the losing streak was about to be snapped as they had a 5-1 lead over the Nashville Predators, but they allowed six unanswered goals to fall 7-5.
Mikael Granlund continues to bolster his trade value, scoring 14 goals and 40 points to lead the team in the latter category. Leading the team in goals is former Flame Tyler Toffoli with 17, while Macklin Celebrini has 14 goals and 34 points this season. Fellow youngster William Eklund has 10 goals and 36 points. In net, Yaroslav Askarov has a .912 save percentage and a 2.58 goals against average in nine games played.
The Sharks start a three-game home stand this week, hosting the Predators, Florida Panthers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Seattle Kraken

Surprisingly, it was a good week for the Seattle Kraken as they went 2-1-0. First up was a 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, before defeating the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 and the Buffalo Sabres 6-4.
Leading the team in points is Jared McCann, who has 36 with 14 goals. However, Jaden Schwartz overtook him in the goal department as he has 16. Chandler Stephenson has been scoring more lately, as he has eight goals and 33 points, while Oliver Bjorkstrand has 13 goals and 31 points. In net, Joey Daccord has a .914 save percentage and a 2.49 goals against average in 30 games played.
It’s a busy week for the Kraken, as they host the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, before a one-game road trip to face the Oilers. That’s the first game of a back-to-back, as they’ll return home to face the Anaheim Ducks.

Vancouver Canucks

The Calgary Flames haven’t been playing particularly well lately, but that’s okay because neither have the Vancouver Canucks. They fell 5-1 to the Los Angeles Kings, before defeating the Edmonton Oilers 3-2. However, they lost by the same score against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.
Defenceman Quinn Hughes is the front-runner for the Norris Trophy, and for good reason as he has 12 goals and 51 points. Jake DeBrusk has 17 goals to lead the team, while Conor Garland, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Kiefer Sherwood, and Pius Suter each have double-digit goals. In net, Thatcher Demko has an .873 save percentage and a 3.23 goals against average in 11 games. Kevin Lankinen has a 9.03 save percentage and a 2.63 goals against average in 30 games played.
This week, the Canucks head to Edmonton to face the Oilers before returning home to host the Washington Capitals. They’ll hit the road once again, playing the St. Louis Blues on Monday to finish their week.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights have been slipping in recent times, as they’ve lost six of their last seven games and are on a four-game losing streak. This week, they fell 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks, and 5-4 to the St. Louis Blues, albeit in a shootout.
Jack Eichel’s 58 points lead the team, while Pavel Dorofeyev’s 20 goals lead in that category. Including those two, the Golden Knights have eight double-digit scorers, with Mark Stone, Tomáš Hertl, Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden, Keegan Kolesar, and Victor Olofsson each reaching the plateau. In net, Adin Hill has a .901 save percentage and a 2.61 goals against average in 29 games played.
This week, the Golden Knights have a back-to-back on the road against the Blues and Dallas Stars, before returning home to host the Florida Panthers and Stars.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.
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