Can you believe we’re nearly a month into the 2024-25 season?
A month into the season, the Pacific Division is up for grabs, as teams one through five are separated by just six points. Even the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim are looking competitive early in the season, at least more competitive than last season.
Let’s dig into that in the latest What’s Going On In The Pacific Division!

Anaheim Ducks

Since the last What’s Going On In The Pacific Division (WGOITPD), the Ducks are 0-2-1, with regulation losses to the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks, while losing 2-1 in overtime to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Lukáš Dostál continues his strong play, as he has a .929 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average in 10 games, with a 4-3-2 record. The Ducks’ 25 goals are the fewest in the league, but Troy  Terry has five goals and 10 points in 12 games, while Leo Carlsson has four goals and six points.
This coming week, they’ll continue their home stand, hosting the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Calgary Flames

There’s been some good and bad since the last WGOITPD for the Calgary Flames, as they suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to the Utah Hockey Club. However, they snapped a four-game losing streak with a 3-0 shutout win over Jacob Markström and the New Jersey Devils, before falling 4-2 to the Edmonton Oilers. On Tuesday, they defeated the Montréal Canadiens 3-2.
Defenceman Rasmus Andersson continues to lead the Flames in points with 11, while scoring four goals in 13 games. Moreover, Nazem Kadri, Matt Coronato, and Anthony Mantha each have four goals, while Jonathan Huberdeau has five. Goaltending has been strong, as Dustin Wolf has a .908 save percentage and Daniel Vladař has a .907 save percentage.
The Flames play four games before next week’s article, facing the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres on the road, before returning home to host the Los Angeles Kings. They head back out on the road the following day, facing the Vancouver Canucks for the second time this season.

Edmonton Oilers

How did the Connor McDavid-less Oilers fare in their first week without the game’s best player? Not too bad, as they thumped the Nashville Predators 5-1, before defeating the Calgary Flames 4-2. However, on the second night of a back-to-back, they fell 3-0 to the New Jersey Devils in a game they nearly outshot the team by double.
As he usually does when McDavid is injured, Leon Draisaitl has stepped up, putting up back-to-back three-point games in the Oilers’ two wins. Mattias Ekholm is third on the team with points, scoring two goals and nine points, while Evan Bouchard has three goals and seven points. Goaltending hasn’t been great for the Oilers, as starter Stuart Skinner has an .881 save percentage and 3.31 goals-against average, while Calvin Pickard has an .886 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average.
The Oilers have three games, before next Wednesday, hosting the Vegas Golden Knights tonight, going to Vancouver to face the Canucks on Saturday, before returning home to host the New York Islanders.

Los Angeles Kings

After Drew Doughty’s injury in preseason, who had the Los Angeles Kings leading the Pacific Division a month into the season? Well, they have an 8-3-3 record this season, going 3-0-1 this past week with wins over the Vegas Golden Knights, Nashville Predators, and Minnesota Wild, while shockingly losing 4-3 in a shootout to the Chicago Blackhawks.
As he usually does, Anže Kopitar leads the team in points with 15 through 14 games. Alex Laferriere has broken out this season, leading the team with eight goals and picking up five assists. Kevin Fiala also has seven goals, while he, Adrian Kempe, and Brandt Clarke have 12 points. Darcy Kuemper (.899 save percentage, 2.67 goals-against average) and David Rittich (.884 save percentage, 2.77 goals-against average) have shared the crease this season, playing seven games each.
This week, the Kings host the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets, before heading to Alberta to face the Calgary Flames on Monday.

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks kicked off the season with a nine-game losing streak, but have won four of their last five games. That loss came at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks after the Sharks tied it with 1:17 left in the game before the Canucks took the lead back with 26 seconds remaining. The Sharks also defeated the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets this past week.
Mikael Granlund has six goals and 14 points, leading in the latter and tied for the lead in the former. Fabian Zetterlund and former Flame Tyler Toffoli each have six goals and double-digit points, and Macklin Celebrini returned on Tuesday. Mackenzie Blackwood has played the bulk of games, posting an .894 save percentage and a 3.52 goals-against average.
On Thursday, they’ll finish their home stand against the Minnesota Wild, before kicking off a road trip where they’ll play the New Jersey Devils on Sunday and Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken had a solid start to the season, but have been on a hard slide since defeating the Calgary Flames on Oct. 19. Since then, they’ve won just one game with a 1-6-1 record. Last week, they fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and Colorado Avalanche.
Jared McCann has easily been their best player, scoring six goals and 16 points. Jordan Eberle also has six goals (and nine points), while defenceman Brandon Montour has four goals and 10 points. Joey Daccord has a .915 save percentage and a 2.76 goals-against average in nine games, while Philipp Grubauer has an .876 save percentage and a 3.27 goals-against average.
On Friday, the Kraken return home to face off against the Vegas Golden Knights then play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. This seven-game home stand is a great opportunity to snap the skid they’re on.

Vancouver Canucks

Funnily enough, all three games the New Jersey Devils played against Canadian teams in the Pacific Division ended in a shutout. The Vancouver Canucks fell 6-0 to the Devils, but have won their last two games against the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks.
Defenceman Quinn Hughes leads the team in points with 12, while Brock Boeser’s six goals lead the team in that category. J.T. Miller and Conor Garland each have double-digit points as well. Kevin Lankinen has filled in well for Thatcher Demko, as he has a .923 save percentage and a 2.09 goals-against average in eight games played.
Over the next week, they’ll face the Los Angeles Kings to finish their California road trip, before heading home to host the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. Like Seattle, they’ll have a lengthy home stand (six games).

Vegas Golden Knights

Early season stats are always fun and one of the weirdest stats early this season is the Vegas Golden Knights’ home and away record. At home in the Fortress, they’re unstoppable, winning all eight games they’ve played. Away though, they’re 0-3-1. This past week, they fell to the Los Angeles Kings, before defeating the Utah Hockey Club.
Captain Mark Stone is still producing at a high clip, despite not leading the league in points anymore. This season, he has five goals and 20 points. Jack Eichel has 16 points, while Ivan Barbashev and Pavel Dorofeyev are tied with seven goals a piece. Goaltending hasn’t been great for the Knights, as Adin Hill has an .874 save percentage and a 3.15 goals-against average in seven games.
Bad news for the Knights, as their next two games are on the road against the Edmonton Oilers and Seattle Kraken. They’ll return home next Monday to host the Carolina Hurricanes. Of their 13 games left this month, nine are on the road.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

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