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Pacific Division Round Up: Kings kick off trade deadline season

Posted on by Haley Van Horn

It’s that time of year again, folks. The NHL trade deadline month is upon us. I’m sure as Sharks fans, you’re eager to see what potential trades could do to boost this struggling team, but Doug Wilson hasn’t reeled anyone in just yet.

The Los Angeles Kings were the first Pacific Division team to take the bait. Stuck in dead last, they’re desperate for anything to bring some life into their lineup, so they did some dealing with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Let’s get into it.

Anaheim Ducks (23-26-7)

The Anaheim Ducks now have a one-point lead over the Sharks in the Pacific Division standings following an interesting week. They embarked on their Eastern Canada road trip and all three games ended in overtime. It started with a 3-2 shootout win against the Ottawa Senators, followed by 3-2 and 5-4 overtime losses to the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.

They then finished off their week in Buffalo, coming out on top 3-2 against the Sabres. Ryan Miller was in net for two of the games this week, including the win against the Sabres where he got his 385th win.

Erik Gudbranson is sidelined with an upper-body injury he received against the Leafs. He is currently day-to-day. In more interesting news regarding Anaheim, Honda Center hosted a women’s hockey game between USA and Canada and broke the record for crowd attendance. Over 13,000 people came out to watch women’s hockey. This is the only time we’ll applaud you, Anaheim.

The Ducks will see the St. Louis Blues Tuesday at 7 PT.

Arizona Coyotes (27-23-7)

The Arizona Coyotes had a bit of a rough week. Things started off strong with a 3-0 shutout win over the Edmonton Oilers. Then it went downhill when the Carolina Hurricanes came to town. The visiting team beat the Desert Dogs 5-3. Finally, they faced the Boston Bruins, where they fell 4-3, with three of the four goals scored on the penalty kill. The Coyotes have some work to do, that’s for sure.

Antti Raanta played two of the three games this week. On Saturday against Boston, he was set to start, but it was Adin Hill who ended up in net. Raanta was scratched and is dealing with a lower-body injury. The guy can’t catch a break.

The Coyotes injury list doesn’t end there. Our old friend Jason Demers is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Oliver Ekman-Larsson also missed Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury.

The Coyotes take on the Canadiens today at 4 PT.

Calgary Flames (28-22-6)

The San Jose Sharks beat the Calgary Flames early this week. The 3-1 final was a win the Sharks desperately needed. The Flames went on to lose again, this time to the Nashville Predators. That game ended 3-2. Finally, they won big against the Vancouver Canucks. The 6-2 victory was a full team effort with Dillon Dube, Milan Lucic, Derek Ryan, Sean Monahan, Tobias Rieder and Matthew Tkachuk all getting on the board. Yes, even Lucic scored. I’m just as surprised as you are.

The Flames take on our Sharks tonight at 7:30 PT.

Edmonton Oilers (29-20-6)

The Edmonton Oilers are still second place in the division. Their week started out rough, getting shut out 3-0 to the Arizona Coyotes and blown out 6-3 against the Sharks. They eventually got it together and beat the Nashville Predators 3-2. Leon Draisaitl had a pair of goals to put the team ahead.

It was a rough week of the Oilers when it came to injuries. Joakim Nygard will miss 6-8 weeks of play with the Oilers after sustaining a hand injury. James Neal joined the list of injured Oilers with a lower-body injury. It seems as though he is currently day-to-day. Connor McDavid is also dealing with an injury after he crashed into the boards during the game against Nashville. He apparently only has a bruised knee and is day-to-day.

The Chicago Blackhawks are next for the Oilers on Tuesday at 6 PT.

Los Angeles Kings (19-33-5)

The Kings had a busy week, starting on Tuesday with a 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. Jeff Carter scored both goals, but the team failed to generate much else. They were back on the ice on Thursday against the New York Islanders. They lost again, this time 5-3. Their woes continued against the New Jersey Devils, where they were shutout 3-0. They wrapped things up against the New York Rangers on Sunday and fell 4-1. The lone goal was scored by new acquisition Trevor Moore.

Looking to gain anything at all, the Kings made a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. They sent back up goaltender Jack Campbell and team veteran Kyle Clifford to the Leafs in exchange for forward Trevor Moore and 2020 and 2021 third-round draft picks.

The Kings will see the Flames on Wednesday at 7 PT.

Vancouver Canucks (30-21-5)

Introducing your (still) first place Vancouver Canucks! Don’t let their standing position fool you, they had a bad week. On Tuesday, the Boston Bruins shut them out 4-0. Jacob Markstrom stopped 38 pucks, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Bruins’ momentum. They lost again on Thursday. The Minnesota Wild came out on top 4-2. Finally, the Calgary Flames stomped them 6-2.

Brock Boeser is day-to-day with an upper-body injury he suffered against the Calgary Flames on Saturday. The Canucks will miss him in the lineup.

Vancouver will face Nashville tonight at 7 PT.

Vegas Golden Knights (28-21-8)

It brings me a lot of pain to report to you all that the Vegas Golden Knights are third in the division. At least they started off the week with a loss, right? The Tampa Bay Lightning beat them 4-2 on Tuesday. Thursday’s results were a different story, however. They came out on top against the Florida Panthers 7-2. Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty each scored a pair of goals, the others coming from Nate Schmidt, Shea Theodore, and Jonathan Marchessault. Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves. Finally, they faced the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes put up a fight, scoring four goals in the third period, but Vegas tied it up at 5-5. The game went to overtime and eventually a shootout. The Hurricanes took the win with a 6-5 final score.

The Golden Knights will see the Wild on Tuesday at 5 PT.

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