NHL Pacific Division Power Rankings: Week 5

Another week has concluded in the NHL’s regular season, which means we have another week of the Pacific Division Power Rankings. It was a very good week for a number of teams in the division, including a pair of California teams who are on 5+ game winning streaks. The division standings have tightened up significantly with just four points separating 1st from 6th. With all that in mind, here is a look at where teams sit this week.

1. Edmonton Oilers (9-2-0, 2-1-0, Last Week: #1)

Results: NSH 2 at EDM 5, NYR 5 at EDM 6 (OT), EDM 2 at DET 4

Schedule: 11/11 at BOS, 11/12 at BUF, 11/14 at STL, 11/16 at WPG

One regulation loss isn’t enough to bump the Oilers out of the top spot in these rankings but there have been some leaks of late including allowing five goals at home against the Rangers in the game prior. Of course in that game Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl carried the team to a comeback victory, but perhaps now we will learn more about the Oilers as they head out on their first longer road trip of the season.

2. Calgary Flames (7-2-3, 1-1-1, Last Week: #2)

Results: DAL 4 at CGY 3 (OT), NYR 0 at CGY 6, SJ 4 at CGY 1

Schedule: 11/11 at MTL, 11/12 at TOR, 11/14 at OTT, 11/16 at PHI

In the same way I left the Oilers at #1, for now I will keep the Flames at #2 despite some pressure from teams below them. On one hand, the regulation loss to San Jose is disappointing, but it did snap the 10 game point streak the team was on. Calgary finished their five game homestand at 2-1-2 which is okay but not great. They’ll need a good start to this season long seven game road trip to keep their spot in the Top 2.

3. Los Angeles Kings (7-5-1, 4-0-0, Last Week: #6)

Results: STL 2 at LAK 3 (SO), NJ 2 at LAK 3 (OT), LAK 5 at TOR 1, LAK 3 at MTL 2 (OT)

Schedule: 11/11 at OTT, 11/13 at WPG

The Kings jump above #6 for the first time this season thanks to a six game win streak. It has been a hard fought streak with three of the six wins coming past regulation, but after a 1-5-1 start where the team looked dead in the water, it has propelled them right back into the mix. Perhaps most impressive is that they continue to find success without the services of Drew Doughty who continues to recover from a knee injury.

4. Anaheim Ducks (7-4-3, 3-0-0, Last Week: #4)

Results: ARI 1 at ANA 3, STL 1 at ANA 4, ANA 3 at VAN 2 (OT)

Schedule: 11/11 at SEA, 11/14 vs VAN, 11/16 vs WSH

The Ducks probably deserved better than to hold at #4 this week, but with the Alberta teams doing little to lose ground and the Kings on their win streak, there weren’t a lot of options to move them up for now. It is worth noting that the Ducks haven’t been playing particularly well, instead they’ve relied on John Gibson who has been huge in their last two victories. When you have a goalie as good as Gibson, you can rely on him to steal you some wins, but it’s not a great recipe for sustained success. Much like the Kings, this win streak has them right back in the conversation after a slow start.

5. San Jose Sharks (7-4-1, 1-1-1, Last Week: #3)

Results: STL 5 at SJ 3, NJ 3 at SJ 2 (SO), SJ 4 at CGY 1

Schedule: 11/11 at WPG, 11/13 at COL, 11/16 at MIN

The Sharks did a good job of righting the ship on Tuesday night with an impressive road win in Calgary against the red hot Flames. As the team continues to grapple with injuries and missing multiple pieces of their roster with the Covid outbreak, those who remain have kept the team competitive at the very least. This still isn’t the most skilled team you’ll watch, but they are very determined and have gotten some good goaltending from James Reimer and Adin Hill this year.

6. Vegas Golden Knights (7-6-0, 3-1-0, Last Week: #5)

Results: VGK 5 at OTT 1, VGK 5 at MTL 2, VGK 2 at DET 5, SEA 2 at VGK 4

Schedule: 11/11 vs MIN, 11/13 vs VAN, 11/16 vs CAR

I wanted to move the Knights up after a strong week combined with taking the chance on acquiring Jack Eichel, but I just couldn’t see putting them ahead of any of the other five teams in the Pacific for now. Vegas did win three of four games, but they all came against teams comfortably residing in the basement of the NHL, so they weren’t particularly impressive victories. Vegas should be just fine as long as they can maintain a decent record while they wait for their star players to return later this year.

7. Vancouver Canucks (5-6-2, 1-1-1, Last Week: #8)

Results: NSH 3 at VAN 2, DAL 3 at VAN 6, ANA 3 at VAN 2 (OT)

Schedule: 11/11 at COL, 11/13 at VGK, 11/14 at ANA

Something just doesn’t seem to be clicking for the Canucks this year as they sit with an unbalanced 5-6-2 record through 13 games. They haven’t gotten quite enough from Elias Pettersson yet after he signed his big contract in the fall, and as a whole things just aren’t fully working for Vancouver. The team also has a disappointing 2-4-1 record on home ice so far this season. While the Canucks are probably just a wild-card/bubble team, they are definitely better than what we’ve seen so far.

8. Seattle Kraken (4-8-1, 1-2-0, Last Week: #7)

Results: BUF 2 at SEA 5, SEA 4 at ARI 5, SEA 2 at VGK 4

Schedule: 11/11 vs ANA, 11/13 vs MIN

Seattle falls back to the bottom spot in the rankings after a disappointing end to the week, mostly focusing on the ugly loss to the Arizona Coyotes who aren’t even icing a good AHL roster right now. They were the first team to loss to the Coyotes who had a 11 game losing streak entering the contest. Things aren’t looking good for the Kraken right now, but they are a new expansion team and this is far more the norm than what we saw with Vegas.

by Michael MacGillivray