What’s Going On In The Pacific Division: The Kings’ Adrian Kempe suffered an injury, Flames surging, and more!

Goaltending hasn’t been great for the Ducks this season, as John Gibson has an .899 save percentage and a 3.12 goals-against average in 38 games played, along with a 12-20-2 record. Lukáš Dostál played the rest of the games, and has an .897 save percentage and a 3.70 goals-against average, along with an 8-15-1 record in 27 games played.

Over their next five games, they’ll head to San Jose to face the Sharks, before a home stand where they’ll host the New Jersey Devils, the Vancouver Canucks, the Ottawa Senators, and the Dallas Stars.

Calgary Flames

Despite the rumours flying around the team, the Calgary Flames managed to win all three games they played since the last What’s Going On In The Pacific Division (WGOITPD) article. It wasn’t against bad teams, either, as they defeated the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, and the Los Angeles Kings to expand their win streak to four games.

Nazem Kadri has 21 goals and 51 points and is starting to run away with the team point lead. Blake Coleman is second in points with 46, but also leads the team with a career-high 24 goals. Yegor Sharangovich has been a nice addition to the team, as he has 21 goals and 39 points, while six other players have hit the 30-point plateau.

There’s not enough good things that can be said about Jacob Markström’s goaltending this season, as he has a .914 save percentage and a 2.56 goals-against average in 37 games, along with a 20-15-2 record. Sadly, it also means that the trade deadline is the best time to move the 33-year-old netminder to capitalize on his trade value.

The Flames will look to keep the good times rolling, finishing their home stand against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Seattle Kraken. Afterwards, they’ll head on a three-game Eastern Conference road trip against the two Florida teams and the Carolina Hurricanes.

Edmonton Oilers

After the historic 16-game win streak, the Oilers have had a tough month where they’ve gone 4-5-1, including a 1-2-1 stretch since the last WGOITPD article. They lost a barn burner in overtime to the Boston Bruins, before two consecutive losses to the Minnesota Wild and the Calgary Flames. They ended the week with a much-needed win over the Los Angeles Kings.

Connor McDavid hasn’t scored in a while, but he now has 21 goals and 91 points on the season and is 12 back of the lead for the Art Ross. Leon Draisaitl has also played well, scoring 29 goals and 73 points. Other players generating offence include Zach Hyman (38 goals, 57 points), Evan Bouchard (15 goals, 56 points), and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (16 goals, 52 points).

After a fantastic stretch of hockey during the winning streak, netminder Stuart Skinner had hit a rough patch where he had six consecutive games with a save percentage below .900. For the season, he has a .903 save percentage and a 2.70 goals-against average in 42 games played.

The Oilers have one more game on the home stand, as they’ll host the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, before travelling to Seattle to play the Kraken. Then, they’ll return home for a single game against the Penguins, before heading on an Eastern Conference road trip against the Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Los Angeles Kings

In the last WGOITPD article, the Kings were on a four-game win streak. However, with a loss to the Nashville Predators the following day, they’re now 1-3-0 in their last four games, with the win being a 3-2 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks.

Adrian Kempe has 19 goals and 51 points and leads the team in points, but was injured in the game against the Edmonton Oilers. Kevin Fiala has 17 goals and 49 points, while Anže Kopitar has 17 goals and 48 points. Youngster Quinton Byfield has 18 goals and 44 points, while Trevor Moore leads the team in goals with 22 and 38 points. Drew Doughty, Phillip Danault, and Pierre-Luc Dubois all have 10 or more goals.

The Kings’ biggest issue this season has been goaltending, as David Rittich has taken over the crease since the turn of the year and has a .914 save percentage and a 2.32 goals-against average in 18 games. Cam Talbot played the majority of the games in the early part of the season, and has a .913 save percentage and a 2.55 goals-against average in 36 games. While they’ve had solid seasons, neither netminder is who you’d expect to be a starter on a playoff team.

Over their next five games, the Kings will wrap up their road trip with a game against the Vancouver Canucks, before a home stand where they’ll host the New Jersey Devils, the Canucks, the Ottawa Senators, and the Dallas Stars.

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks have won one game this month, and that was a 6-3 win against the Calgary Flames. They went 0-2-0 in their two games since the last WGOITPD while being outscored 11-4.

Despite being injured, Tomáš Hertl still leads the team in goals with 15 as well as points with 34. Fabian Zetterlund is tied with Hertl with 15 goals, but has just 23 points. Mikael Granlund has the best chance at passing Hertl in the points department, as he has seven goals and 32 points, while rookie William Eklund has eight goals and 25 points. Soon-to-be traded Anthony Duclair has 11 goals and 19 points.

It’s bad news on the goaltending front as well, as Mackenzie Blackwood went down with an injury during Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. This season, he has played 35 games and has a 9-18-3 record with an .899 save percentage and a 3.48 goals-against average. Kaapo Kähkönen will likely get the majority of the games, and he has a .901 save percentage and a 3.63 goals-against average in 28 games played this season.

Over their next five games, the Sharks will host the Anaheim Ducks, go on a two-game road trip against the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild, before returning home and hosting the Stars and New York Islanders.

Seattle Kraken

Since the last WGOITPD article, the Kraken are 2-1-0, defeating the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins, but losing to the Minnesota Wild with whom they are battling for a Wild Card position.

Jared McCann has 25 goals and 46 points this season and leads the team in both categories. Defenceman Vince Dunn has 11 goals and 43 points, while Oliver Bjorkstrand has 14 goals and 42 points this season. Jordan Eberle has turned his season around in recent times and now has 14 goals and 35 points, while Eeli Tolvanen has 14 goals and 31 points. 

Netminder Joey Daccord has a .919 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average in 39 games played this season, and has truly broken out as a good starting netminder. Philipp Grubauer has been solid since returning from injury, as he now has an .892 save percentage and a 2.97 goals-against average in 21 games played.

Over their next five games, the Kraken will host the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers, before a two-game road trip against the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets. To round out their next five, they’ll host the Jets three days after playing them in Winnipeg.

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks have been struggling in recent times, as they are 1-4-1 in their last six, with their only win coming in overtime. Since the last WGOITPD, they are 1-1-1 with a win against the Boston Bruins, a regulation loss against the Seattle Kraken, and an overtime loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

J.T. Miller has 30 goals and 81 points this season, leading the team in the latter category. Elias Pettersson has 29 goals and 75 points, while defenceman Quinn Hughes has 12 goals and 70 points. Brock Boeser leads the team in goals with 34 while also picking up 61 points. The Canucks have 10 players with 10 or more goals, Nils Höglander, Dakota Joshua, Pius Suter, Sam Lafferty, Conor Garland, and Ilya Mikheyev are the other six players.

In terms of goaltending, Thatcher Demko has been one of the best netminders in the league this season, as he has a 31-12-2 record, with a .917 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average. Casey DeSmith has an .896 save percentage and a 3 goals-against average in 17 games played, but that has more to do with allowing eight goals in a single game.

Over their next five games, the Canucks will host the Los Angeles Kings, before heading on a three-game road trip against the Anaheim Ducks, the Kings, and the Vegas Golden Knights. For their fifth game, they’ll host the Winnipeg Jets.

Vegas Golden Knights

Since the last WGOITPD, the Vegas Golden Knights went 1-1-1 with a blowout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, a shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators, and a blowout win against the Leafs.

Captain Mark Stone has 16 goals and 53 points, but is week to week with an upper-body injury. Jonathan Marchessault has 32 goals and 51 points, leading the team in the former category. The injured Jack Eichel has 19 goals and 44 points, while William Karlsson has 20 goals and 41 points. Moreover, the Knights have three more players who’ve hit the 30-point plateau: Ivan Barbashev, Chandler Stephenson, and Nicolas Roy.

As for their goaltending situation, Adin Hill has a .927 save percentage and a 2.26 goals-against average, dropping to second in the league in the latter category. Still, the Knights have a 15-5-2 record in the 24 games he’s played this season. Logan Thompson has played 34 games and has a 17-11-5 record, along with a .907 save percentage and a 2.74 goals-against average.

The Knights are in the midst of an Eastern Conference road trip, facing off against the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, and the Columbus Blue Jackets. They’ll return home and host the Vancouver Canucks and the surprising Detroit Red Wings to round out their next five games.