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Pacific Division Round Up: Coyotes take a bite out of Rangers

Sure, the New York Rangers haven’t had an impressive season, but we know where the Arizona Coyotes stand. The second-to-last team in the Pacific Division put a stomping to an original six team and we should celebrate that … I think?

This is what went down in the division this week:

Anaheim Ducks (19-17-7)

The Anaheim Ducks are on an eight-game losing streak, yet find themselves sitting in fourth place in the division. I’m not sure what that says about the division, I just know I love watching the Ducks lose on loop. They ended 2018 with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nick Ritchie tied things up late in the first period, sending the game to the extra frame where Brayden Point scored the winning goal. John Gibson had a great game, making 33 saves.

The Vegas Golden Knights rolled into Honda Center to kick off 2019 and delivered the Ducks another loss. The 3-2 final saw goals from Carter Rowney and Daniel Sprong, but ultimately, the Golden Knights had a little Vegas luck on their side. Things didn’t get better when the Ducks faced the Edmonton Oilers. They were shut out 4-0 by Connor McDavid and crew. They put 39 shots on net but couldn’t get one past Cam Talbot. John Gibson couldn’t save them this time, letting four goals past him on 24 shots.

The Ducks host the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday at 7 PT.

Arizona Coyotes (18-21-3)

The Arizona Coyotes started the new year off slow. They lost their first game of the year to the Oilers 3-1. Brad Richardson had the lone Arizona goal. Adin Hill was in net and let in three goals on 23 shots. Darcy Kuemper was in net when the Coyotes faced the New Jersey Devils. They were able to hold them off, sending the game to a shootout. Christian Fischer and Connor Garland had the two goals in the 3-2 final.

Things turned around completely when the New York Rangers rolled into the desert. They put a beating to them, ending the game with a 5-0 victory. Conor Garland had two goals on seven shots. Alex Galchenyuk, Clayton Keller and Mario Kempe also got pucks past Henrik Lundqvist, who allowed all five goals. What a win for the Desert Dogs.

The Coyotes face the Vancouver Canucks Thursday at 7 PT.

Calgary Flames (26-13-4)

The Calgary Flames are still in first place. I won’t remind you how the Sharks ended the year, we’ll pick it up where that left off. The Flames beat out the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 on Wednesday. Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, T.J. Brodie and Michael Frolik all found the net that night. The Boston Bruins sought revenge for the Sharks, beating the Flames 6-4. Johnny Gaudreau, Mikael Backlund, Michael Frolik and Elias Lindholm had goals, but the Bruins were able to get six shots past Mike Smith, who had 21 saves.

The final game of the week for Calgary came with a 3-2 shootout win. The Flames faced the Philadelphia Flyers. Johnny Gaudreau struck first, tying up the game 1-1. The Flyers struck next, but Matthew Tkachuk found the net to tie it up again. Going into overtime, T.J. Brodie found the net at 1:59 to give the Flames victory. Calgary still find themselves in first place of the Pacific.

Calgary takes the Chicago Blackhawks today at 5:30 PT.

Edmonton Oilers (20-19-3)

The Oilers fell to the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 on Monday. Leon Draisaitl found the back of the net twice and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored once. Mikko Koskinen was in net for the Oilers and made 32 saves on 36 shots. They found their luck against the Coyotes with a 3-1 victory. Connor McDavid had two goals and an assist on the third scored by Leon Draisaitl. Koskinen was in net again and had a better night with a .967 save percentage.

The Oilers then faced our Southern California rivals. Somehow, the Los Angeles Kings shut them out 4-0. Cam Talbot took over for Mikko Koskinen after he allowed three goals. Talbot went on to let one more in, letting the worst team in the Pacific shut them out. They had the exact opposite result against the Ducks, shutting them out 4-0. Kyle Brodziak, Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and Jesse Puljujarvi scored, while Talbot made a perfect 39 saves.

The Oilers face the Sharks tomorrow at 7:30 PT.

Los Angeles Kings (17-23-3)

The Los Angeles Kings had an interesting week. They started things off with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty and Sean Walker had the goals. They lost to the Vegas Golden Knights the next day, getting shutout 2-0. Jack Campbell was back in net and made 46 saves, but the offense couldn’t come through to get the Kings on the board.

The Tampa Bay Lightning hit Staples Center and dominated the Kings 6-2. Drew Doughty and Austin Wagner got two goals past Andrei Vasilevskiy, while the Lightning got six goals past Jonathan Quick. Yikes! Things turned around as they shut out the Oilers 4-0. Jeff Carter, Kyle Clifford, Anze Kopitar and Tyler Toffoli found the net while Jonathan Quick saved all 16 of the shots Edmonton took on him. Sixteen shots on goal?!

The Kings play the Sharks today at 7:30 PT.

Vancouver Canucks (20-21-4)

The Vancouver Canucks took on the New Jersey Devils before facing the Eastern Canadian teams. They were shutout 4-0. Things looked up when they played the Ottawa Senators. They got a win out of it, though it was in overtime. The 4-3 victory saw an Elias Pettersson hat trick with a single goal scored by Sven Baertschi.

The Canucks saw the Montreal Canadiens next. They were shutout again, this time 2-0. Jacob Markstrom was in net for the Canucks and made 25 saves on 27 shots. Things got even worse when they played the Toronto Maple Leafs. That one was a 5-0 shutout. The poor Canucks are struggling. Not many highlights to show for their week.

Vegas Golden Knights (26-15-4)

The Golden Knights had another good week and I am just as annoyed as you are. It started off with a 2-0 victory over the Kings. That one I won’t complain about too much. Brandon Pirri and Alex Tuch put pucks past Jack Campbell. The Golden Knights went on to beat the Anaheim Ducks next. The 3-2 final saw goals from Tomas Nosek, Max Pacioretty and Nate Schmidt.

They would get yet another win against the New Jersey Devils. This one ended 3-2. The goals came off the sticks of Brayden McNabb, Max Pacioretty and Ryan Reaves. Malcolm Subban stood strong between the pipes, making 36 saves on 38 shots. I really thought the Golden Knights would continue to flop this season. I guess I was wrong.

The Rangers head to Sin City tomorrow at 7 PT.

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