Last night, the famously infamous battle for Alexis Lafreniere took place in Ontario. It was wild, it was quiet (with the empty seats), it even brought us overtime. Are you not entertained yet? Of course, all that excitement and the Kings still lost in Ottawa against the Senators. However, at least they could be satisfied with a point gained.
As of now, there is just one worse team in the NHL than Los Angeles: the Detroit Red Wings. Even the Senators are fairly better than the Kings, as we witnessed last night. The overall goal differential for the Kings is -22, while Ottawa’s is -9. The Red Wings are -33. So even by that ranking, the Kings are really not the worst team in the League. Phew!
It’s only November, but should we already start to take a look at Alexis Lafreniere and what he brings? Nah, too early. And based on past experience, we all know the Kings are not winning the lottery, right?
The Edmonton Oilers, somehow, still lead the Pacific Division. Their form in recent days is downgrading way too much. Speaking of the Red Wings, their only win in their last 13 games came versus the Oilers. Ironic, right?
The Oilers are seconded by the Flames, their Alberta foes. Last time we wrote about Calgary, they just came off a monstrous win in Nashville, winning 6-5 in overtime after overcoming a three-goal deficit. Since then, the Flames won three of their last four contests. The only team beating them were the Capitals, who lead the league with 27 points.
Following their win at Staples Center, the Vancouver Canucks have lost three of their next four games. Nevertheless, they are still relevant with 21 points, sitting at the third spot in the Pacific. The division-leading Oilers and sixth place Anaheim are separated by only three points.
Then there is a yawning gap still, as the Sharks have 13 points, two points ahead of Los Angeles. Although San Jose nearly squandered multiple four-goal leads on Thursday, they’ve still managed to win two games in a row.
Circle Around the NHL
All hail to the Stanley Cup finalists, the Blues, and the Bruins. St. Louis leads the Western Conference with 25 points, having won six straight. Their only loss in their past nine contests came in Boston. On the other hand, the Bruins are almost flawless with an 11-2-2 record for 24 points, leading the Atlantic Division.
Special achievement by Pittsburgh: in back-to-back contests, the Pens found themselves with a 3-0 deficit. On Monday in Boston, they came back from a 3-0 deficit to hold a 4-3 lead, yet still lost 6-4 versus the Bruins. On Thursday, however, the Penguins beat the Islanders 4-3. You know you are not going to win every game. But choking a 3-0 lead in the third period at home while on a 10-game winning streak, how about that, Islanders?
If you are looking for some NHL hockey played overseas, make sure not to miss the back-to-back games in Sweden between the Sabres and the Lightning. Both teams were reasonably poor before embarking on Europe. They will try to bounce back, for sure. The Swedes’ attention will be on their fellow countrymen Rasmus Dahlin and Victor Hedman.
Pacific Division Power Rankings
- Vegas Golden Knights (=)
- Calgary Flames (+3)
- Vancouver Canucks (-1)
- Edmonton Oilers (-1)
- Arizona Coyotes (-1)
- Anaheim Ducks (=)
- San Jose Sharks (=)
- Los Angeles Kings (=)
There are not a lot of moves in this week’s edition of the Pacific Division Power Rankings. The Golden Knights still sit atop of the rankings, while the Flames have upgraded significantly. The improving Calgary Flames have bumped the other teams down by a spot. The bottom three is without modifications.