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Pacific Division check-in: A 2024 classic

Posted on by Erika Towne
Jan 1, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; The Seattle Kraken celebrate after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2024 Winter Classic ice hockey game at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Happy new year to everyone but the Vegas Golden Knights, who decided 2024 wasn’t for them. The Golden Knights made history on New Year’s Day, though not the way the defending Stanley Cup Champions wanted. Vegas became the only team to be shut out in a Winter Classic game, losing to the Seattle Kraken 3-0. Credit to Joey Daccord, who stopped all 35 shots he faced to claim the “W.” But we’re here for the trolling for the Golden Knights and let me tell you, it was pretty good. My favorite was this tweet from a Golden Knights fan that every Sharks fan should save and pull out as needed:

Not only was the game an “L” for Vegas but so were the jerseys. When put up against the Seattle Kraken’s sweaters, it wasn’t a contest, especially with Daccord’s brown pads.

Forget the game; other fun highlights include how the Golden Knights entered T-Mobile Park dressed as Elvis.

Not to be outdone, the Kraken showed up to the game dressed as the fish tossers at Pike Place Fish Market.

Then, as they entered T-Mobile Park to start the game, the fish started flying.

There were also Seattle celebrities in the house. Seattle native Sir Mix-A-Lot sang in the opener, while rock legends Heart hit the stage at the first intermission. There were plenty of former and current local sports figures including players from the Mariners, Seahawks and Sonics. Former Seahawk Marshawn Lynch drew the biggest cheer.

Overall, it was a successful Winter Classic in Seattle.

But what does it all mean in the grand playoff scheme of things? First, it means that Vegas isn’t leading the division anymore. That honor goes to the Vancouver Canucks, who continue to stick around. Meanwhile, Seattle is creeping up on the pack leaders with the Edmonton Oilers right there with them.

1. Vancouver Canucks (24-10-3, 51 points)

It’s easy to see why the Vancouver Canucks are one of the best teams in the NHL. After all, the team has three of the top 20 scorers in the league. J.T. Miller is tied for fifth with 50 points. Quinn Hughes is ninth with 46 and Elias Pettersson is tenth with 45. Then, there’s Brock Boeser, who is just outside of that top 20, but still has 24 goals, tied for third in the league. The team is getting scoring from multiple players and that makes a huge difference.

There’s also the guy in net. Thatcher Demko is top five in the league in wins with 18 and a .917 save percentage. It feels like the Canucks have everything going for them at this point and it’s going to get even better soon. Carson Soucy could soon be back in the lineup, strengthening the defense corps. While Soucy’s recovery from a fractured leg is slightly delayed, according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic, his return is imminent.

2. Vegas Golden Knights (22-11-5, 49 points)

The Golden Knights may not have shown that Stanley Cup hangover to start the season, but the team has hit a bit of a speed bump recently. Vegas is 4-6-0 in its last ten games. While losses to teams like the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning might be understandable, the 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 27 and the 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 15 had to hurt. If Vegas isn’t careful, it could end up falling down to third in the Pacific Division.

While Jack Eichel continues to be elite for the Golden Knights — 40 points in 38 games — the dropoff from there comes quickly. Only three other players, Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault, have more than 20 points this season. That’s left Vegas at 14th in the league in goals for per game.

Adin Hill and Logan Thompson continue to share the duties in net. Hill recently returned from injury. While he suited up for Vegas at the Winter Classic, it was Thompson who backstopped the Golden Knights. Hill hasn’t played since Dec. 17, when he left the game against the Ottawa Senators with that injury.

3. Los Angeles Kings (20-9-5, 45 points)

Los Angeles is still holding strong to the third spot in the Pacific Division despite playing so-so in its last ten games. LA is 4-5-1, losing its third game in a row to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night. The 3-0 loss was an anomaly for the Kings, who play stifling defense that the Sharks are all too familiar with. LA leads the league in goals against per game with 2.4. It’s penalty kill is 87%, also first in the league.

36-year-old Anze Kopitar continues to do his thing, leading the Kings with 34 points in 34 games. He already has 14 goals this season. Trevor Moore leads the Kings with 17 goals.

4. Edmonton Oilers (19-15-1, 39 points)

The Edmonton Oilers have won six in a row and are now closing in on a wildcard spot. Edmonton beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 last night to continue the team’s surge up the standings.

Stuart Skinner seems to have stabilized things in net. The goaltender is now 14-9-1 for the season and has a .920 save percentage since the start of December. Even without the strong play by Skinner, Edmonton has its offense to fall back on. The team is second in the league in scoring, with 3.6 goals for per game.

Connor McDavid is back leading the team with 53 points in 33 games. He scored his 900th career point against the Flyers on Tuesday. Zach Hyman leads the team with 22 goals. Five players on Edmonton are on a more than point per game pace.

For the most part, the Oilers control their own destiny in the playoff race. Other than the Kings, which have played one fewer game than the Oilers, Edmonton has at least one game in hand on all the others. The Nashville Predators currently hold the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference but are just four points ahead and have played three more games than the Oilers. The Arizona Coyotes have the second wildcard spot. The Coyotes are a point ahead of the Oilers and have played one more game.

5. Seattle Kraken (15-14-9, 39 points)

The Kraken are making a push at the right time. With the Kings and the Golden Knights being mediocre, the Kraken have won five in a row. It’s a good thing, too, because Seattle needs to keep pace with Edmonton. The Oilers win last night pushed the team past the Kraken in the standings. Seattle is now fifth in the Pacific Division as a result.

Seattle is 7-1-2 in its last ten games, failing to get at least a point just once. The surge is thanks in large part to goaltender Daccord, who has taken over the net while Philipp Grubauer is injured. Daccord has allowed just 15 goals in 10 games since he took over the net when Grubauer was injured. He’s sporting a 1.58 goals against average in that time and a .947 save percentage.

The Kraken need the defense because the offense isn’t coming. The team is 28th leaguewide in scoring with 2.7 goals per game. Defenseman Vince Dunn leads the team with 31 points. Oliver Bjorkstrand is close behind with 29 points. Jared McCann is the team’s leading goal scorer. He has 14 goals in 37 games.

6. Calgary Flames (16-16-5, 37 points)

If you’re not sure what’s happening in Calgary, don’t worry, neither is anyone else. The headline in the Calgary Herald recently was “Rebuild? Playoffs? And what about their prospects? 24 questions for the Calgary Flames in 2024.” Kind of says it all.

Mathematically, the team is still in the mix. The Flames are just two points behind the Oilers and the Kraken. However, the Flames will need to be better than the team’s 5-3-2 record in the last ten games. Yes, the Flames have won two in a row, but it still feels like this team is selling at the deadline. Names like Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev and Elias Lindholm are floating around the trade market. Other players like Jordan Oesterle, Nick DeSimone and Dennis Gilbert are pending free agents that could find their way to other teams by March.

Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman lead the team with 26 points. Coleman also has 13 goals to lead the Flames.

7. Anaheim Ducks (13-23-0, 26 points)

After a tough December, the Ducks have secured a spot in the Pacific Division basement with the Sharks. Anaheim is 3-7-0 in the team’s last ten games, giving the Sharks a run for their money.

The big news for Anaheim is the loss of Leo Carlsson. The team had been pacing itself with Carlsson’s debut season, so it had to sting when the young forward sprained his right knee, making him unavailable for nearly a month and a half. You can bet Anaheim will not rush him back. The sprain happened in late December, so he probably won’t be available to play in either of the two games between the Sharks and Ducks this month.

Meanwhile, John Gibson’s name continues to float around the trade rumor world. Gibson is looking to play for a contender and the Ducks continue to rebuild. The trouble for the team is Gibson’s contract isn’t easy to swallow for a contender, so Anaheim may have difficulty finding a suitable trade partner.

On the ice, Frank Vatrano leads the team with 26 points. He also has the most goals, 17.

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