What’s Going On In the Pacific Division: Golden Knights, Ducks, and Oilers all sit with 44 points

The second half of the season begins on Saturday.

Every team in the Pacific Division is just six or fewer points away from a playoff spot, with three teams being tied for first in the division.

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

Before the break, the Anaheim Ducks went 1-2-0, defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3, but falling 8-3 to the Dallas Stars and 3-1 to the Seattle Kraken. Their 21-14-2 record gives them 44 points, tied for the division lead alongside the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers.

This week, they’ll head up Interstate 5 to face off against the Los Angeles Kings, before returning to the suburbs to host the San Jose Sharks on Monday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.

Calgary Flames

Overall, it was a good week for the Calgary Flames, as they defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-2 on Thursday and the Vegas Golden Knights 6-3 on Saturday. Unfortunately, they couldn’t solve the surging Edmonton Oilers, as they fell 5-1 to their provincial rival on Festivus.

The good news is the Flames can enact their revenge on the Oilers on Saturday, as the two teams head to Calgary in what will likely be a chippy game. After that, the Flames host the Boston Bruins on Monday and Philadelphia Flyers on New Year’s Eve.

Edmonton Oilers

Speaking of those Oilers, they just can’t seem to start a three-game win streak this season. Entering last Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild, they had a chance, but ultimately fell 5-2. They then proceeded to beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 and the Calgary Flames 5-1 to give them 44 points, albeit with three additional games played over the Knights.

The Oilers will hunt for their first three-game winning streak on Saturday, as they head down Highway 2 to face the Flames. After that, they play the Winnipeg Jets on Monday and the Boston Bruins at home on New Year’s Eve.

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings are the other Pacific Division team currently in a playoff spot. This past week, they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Thursday, but lost 3-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets and 3-2 to the Seattle Kraken to give them 39 points this season.

It’s a light schedule this week for the Kings, as they host the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday before travelling to Denver to play the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.

San Jose Sharks

While the San Jose Sharks remain in the post-season hunt, their previous week won’t help them in that push. They fell 5-3 to the Dallas Stars, 4-2 to the Seattle Kraken, and 7-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights to fall out of a playoff spot. As it stands, they are just two points out of a spot with two fewer games played than the Utah Mammoth.

This week, they’ll head north to play the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, then return to California to play the Anaheim Ducks in Anaheim on Monday, before returning home to host the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.

Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken had a busy and a successful week. They kicked it off with a 4-2 loss to the surging Calgary Flames, but followed that up with a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks, a 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks, and a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

Unlike most teams, the Kraken will be off when the National Hockey League resumes on Saturday, but will have a back-to-back on Sunday and Monday, hosting the Philadelphia Flyers and Vancouver Canucks respectively.

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks are back from the basement of the NHL, and their previous week is a big reason why. On Friday, they defeated the New York Islanders 4-1, then defeated the Boston Bruins 5-4 in a shootout to extend their winning streak to four games. On Monday, that streak was snapped with a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

This week, they return home to host the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, before embarking on the road to play one game against the Seattle Kraken on Monday. That’s the first game of a back-to-back, as they host the Flyers on Tuesday.

Vegas Golden Knights

Lastly, it wasn’t a great week for the Vegas Golden Knights. They fell 6-3 to the Calgary Flames and 4-3 to the Edmonton Oilers in a back-to-back in Alberta, but salvaged the week with a 7-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. As it stands, the Golden Knights are first in the Pacific Division with 44 points, but have played two fewer games than the Anaheim Ducks and three fewer games than the Edmonton Oilers.

They’ll be at home for this week, hosting the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, the Minnesota Wild on Monday, and the Nashville Predators on New Year’s eve.

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