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Pacific Division Round Up: Randy Carlyle takes a hike

Posted on by Haley Van Horn

The Anaheim Ducks finally made a coaching change after a miserable month of hockey. The seven-game losing streak they are currently on made the decision an easy one. Anaheim fans have been calling for the firing of head coach Randy Carlyle and they finally got it.

That’s the most exciting news in the Pacific Division this week. Here’s how the rest of the Division went on:

Anaheim Ducks (21-26-9)

The Anaheim Ducks have dethroned the Los Angeles Kings as the worst team in the division after that ugly seven-game losing streak. The Ducks spent most of the week in Canada, losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators. The 6-1 loss to Toronto saw a goal from Rickard Rakell and five goals allowed by John Gibson. The Canadiens game was a similar story — a 4-1 loss with a goal from Ryan Getzlaf, while backup goaltender Chad Johnson allowed four goals between the pipes. The Senators shut them out 4-0. Again, both goaltenders saw time in net. This team was really struggling.

Come Saturday, things got worse. The Philadelphia Flyers took down the Ducks 6-2. John Gibson was injured in Ottawa, leaving an already rough goaltending situation that much worse. Chad Johnson let four goals past him, while third-string netminder Kevin Boyle allowed four. Nick Ritchie and Adam Henrique scored, but the Ducks were a done deal.

Randy Carlyle was sacked this week. Though he is the most winning coach in team history, after the last few months this team has had, it was time to try something new. For now, general manager Bob Murray will step in as head coach, with no coaching history under his belt. Is this the wake up call the Ducks have needed?

The Ducks face the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. PT.

Arizona Coyotes (24-26-5)

The Arizona Coyotes played four games this week and won just one of them. First, there was a 5-4 loss to the Dallas Stars. Kevin Connauton, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Alex Galchenyuk and Vinnie Hinostroza got on the board, but the Coyotes fell short. The Nashville Predators had a field day with the Desert Dogs, beating them 5-2. Hinostroza had another goal, with the second coming from Derek Stepan. The Columbus Blue Jackets beat them next with a 4-2 final. Jordan Oesterle and Conor Garland had the two goals from Arizona.

Things turned around come Saturday. The Desert Dogs finally got a win in. A rematch against the Stars ended in their favor this time. The 3-2 victory saw a pair of goals from Alex Galchenyuk and a single goal from Alex Goligoski. Darcy Kuemper made 33 saves between the pipes.

The Arizona Coyotes lost another forward to injury. Mario Kempe joined the extensive injured reserve list for Arizona. He is currently day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The Coyotes also made a transaction, sending Laurent Dauphin and former San Jose Barracuda Adam Helewka to Nashville in exchange for Emil Pettersson.

The Coyotes see the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday at 7 p.m. PT.

Calgary Flames (34-15-6)

The Calgary Flames are still in first place, unfortunately. They only played two games this week and the first was a beautiful 5-2 loss handed to them by our San Jose Sharks. Feel free to read our full game recap here if you missed it. They fell short again to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday in a shootout. The 3-4 loss saw goals from Sam Bennett, Elias Lindholm and Andrew Mangiapane, but they fell flat in overtime.

James Neal was hit with a high stick and you can watch his teeth fall out of his mouth in slow motion, if you’re into that. He returned to the ice before Vancouver’s penalty was fully served.

The best in the West see the best in the East on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. as the Flames face the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Edmonton Oilers (24-26-5)

The Edmonton Oilers saw the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday and lost 6-2. Both Oilers goals were scored by Leon Draisaitl. Cam Talbot allowed four goals before being replaced by Mikko Koskinen, who allowed two. The Oilers faced the Minnesota Wild next and the outcome was a better one for Edmonton. The 4-1 victory saw goals from Zack Kassian, Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse and Ty Rattie. Cam Talbot made 35 saves.

The Sharks handed Edmonton their second loss of the week. The 5-2 loss saw goals from Zack Kassian and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. More importantly, though, a hat trick from Kevin Labanc.

The Oilers play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT.

Los Angeles Kings (23-27-5)

The Kings won three of the four games they played this week, can you believe that? I am speechless. The first win came in overtime against the New York Rangers. The 4-3 final had two goals from Adrian Kempe and single goals from Tyler Toffoli and Anze Kopitar. Jonathan Quick made 24 saves on the night. They then headed to New Jersey and beat the Devils 5-1. Tyler Toffoli had two goals, while Adrian Kempe Ilya Kovalchuk and Dion Phaneuf each found the net once.

They kept that momentum going when they saw the Philadelphia Flyers. This one was a 3-2  shootout victory for the Kings. Austin Wagner and Adrian Kempe scored in regulation but the Flyers tied it up in the third period. Tyler Toffoli had the winning shootout goal. Jonathan Quick made 30 saves. The Boston Bruins put an end to this small winning streak, but the win came in overtime. Oscar Fantenberg, Alex Iafallo, Anze Kopitar and Nate Thompson found the net in regulation but couldn’t deliver in the extra frame. Finally, the Kings were back to being losers.

The Kings face the Washington Capitals today at 4 p.m. PT.

Vancouver Canucks (25-24-7)

The Vancouver Canucks had a tough week. They started things out falling 2-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers. Brock Boeser had the lone goal. They went on to lose again to the Washington Capitals, this time 3-2. Markus Granlund and Elias Pettersson found the back of the net. Jacob Markstrom made 28 saves against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Then came two games that ended in overtime. They first lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. The 4-3 final saw goals from Josh Leivo, Alex Biega and Elias Pettersson, but ultimately the Blackhawks came out on top. The next game was a shootout win against the Calgary Flames. Ending with a 4-3 score, the Canucks saw goals from Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, Josh Leivo while Pettersson capped off the win in the shootout.

The Canucks play the Sharks tonight at 7 p.m. PT.

Vegas Golden Knights (31-22-4)

The Golden Knights beat the best team in the NHL in a shootout on Tuesday. The 3-2 victory ended in a shootout. Cody Eakin and Valentin Zykov found the net during regulation and Alex Tuch finished it off in the shootout. They won again against the Detroit Red Wings. The 4-3 victory saw goals from William Karlsson and Brayden McNabb, while Jonathan Marchessault had a pair of goals. Marc-Andre Fleury made 36 saves.

The final game for the Golden Knights this week ended in a 4-3 loss. Cody Eakin found the net again, along with Jon Merrill and Nate Schmidt. Fleury had 29 saves on the night.

The Golden Knights play the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday at 7 p.m. PT.

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