During Week 4 of the NHL season, the Pacific Division was relatively quiet. That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to talk about throughout the division. It appears that the good teams are getting better while the bad teams are getting…. worse?
There are numerous story lines to explore, so let’s get started with this week’s rankings.
All statistics gathered from Natural Stat Trick
1. Golden Knights of Vegas (11-1-1, 23 points)
1 (-) last week
This week’s record is 2-1-0.
The “Clash of the Titans” game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night was one that hockey fans had marked on their weekly calendar. Unfortunately for those who tuned in, it was more of a beat down than a clash, with the Golden Knights dominating in a 7-0 victory at T-Mobile Arena.
Despite having their impressive season-opening point streak snapped the next day by a third-period heartbreaker against the Ducks, the Golden Knights remain the Western Conference’s class.
Stick Taps: Special teams disprove the doubters
Coming into Saturday, the Golden Knights’ main source of success had been at even strength, with special teams units that were closer to league average. When the criticism of a team is in comparison to the league average, it’s a good problem to have, but the Knights special teams had a special night against the Avs on Saturday. Two shorthanded goals by captain Mark Stone and a power play goal demonstrated that this team can and will beat you in almost any situation.
2. Vancouver Canucks (9-2-1 record, 19 points)
2 (-) last week
This week’s record is 4-0-0.
Many viewers of Hockey Night in Canada’s “After Hours” were surprised when Elliotte Friedman claimed that the Vancouver Canucks were “Canada’s best chance” so far this NHL season. While it is still early to make such claims, it is easy to see why the Canucks have had the best start in franchise history, and it begins with the team’s stars.
Elias Pettersson has surpassed New Jersey Devil Jack Hughes for the NHL point lead with 21, while Jack’s brother and Canucks captain Quinn Hughes has 20, six points ahead of the next closest defenseman.
Oh, and Thatcher Demko is also out of his mind, but more on that later.
The Thatcher Demko Redemption Tour, Stick Taps
After an injury-plagued season for the Canucks’ star goaltender, Demko appears to have returned to the “Bubble Demko” form we saw in 2021. He currently has a.948 save percentage (5th in the NHL) and a 1.61 GAA (6th in the NHL).
3. L.A. Kings (7-2-2, 16 points)
3 (-) last week
This week’s record is 3-0-0.
What was it about the Los Angeles Kings’ goaltending being an issue? Cam Talbot has continued to impress in the early stages of this season, and the Kings have allowed just three goals in three games this week.
The offense is also on fire, with five different players reaching double digits through 11 games. If the Kings and the other top three teams maintain their form throughout the season, it will be a thrilling race for the Pacific Division title.
Quinton Byfield: Is he finally breaking out?
Byfield was selected second overall in the 2020 NHL Draft and received a lot of attention. Since then, he’s had some good looks at the NHL level but hasn’t been able to find it quite yet, with 22 points in 53 games last season being his highest point total.
With 10 points through the first 11 games of the season, could this be the year Byfield emerges as a league star? Playing alongside captain Anze Kopitar and team points leader Adrian Kempe will undoubtedly help him succeed.
The Anaheim Ducks (7-4-0, 14 points) are fourth.
5 (+1) the previous week
This week’s record is 2-0-0.
The Anaheim Ducks’ undefeated eastern swing from a week ago appears to have followed them back west. The Ducks have now won five third-period comebacks, including one against the league-leading Golden Knights after trailing 2-0 entering the final period.
Although this hot streak may come to an end in the near future, the Anaheim rebuild appears to be on track.
Taps for Sticks: Is the Ducks’ best prospect someone we haven’t even mentioned?
We’re all aware of the big names who will be appearing for the Anaheim Ducks. McTavish, Zegras, Carlsson, and Drysdale are all members of the team. But what if we haven’t shown Pavel Mintyukov, the 10th overall pick in 2022, enough love? In his first 11 NHL games, the defenseman has been extremely dynamic, scoring one goal and assisting on seven occasions.
5. The Kraken of Seattle (4-6-2, 10 pts.)
7 (+2) the previous week
This week’s record is 1-1-0.
There was a slim chance that the Seattle Kraken would repeat their performance from last season, but the level of regression that this team has seen thus far this season is significant. They aren’t making saves on high-danger chances, ranking in the bottom ten in the league in high-danger save percentage (.767), and Matty Beniers has yet to score.
Nothing is clicking for this team right now, but they have still managed to win four games, so putting them in this position assumes that some of their studs will start doing studly things soon. They have to, don’t they?
Taps for Sticks: Vince Dunn has continued where he left off last year.
With 64 points in 2022-23, defenceman Vince Dunn had a breakout season.
The Edmonton Oilers (2-8-1, 5 points) are sixth.
4 (-2) the previous week
This week’s record is 0-3-0.
We’re still not sure what’s going on with the Oilers. Is it a problem with the players? Is it a problem with the coach? Is it time to start wondering if they’re a genuine Cup contender? It may be too soon to write them off, but there are a lot of red flags flying around Oil Country. While McDavid and Draisaitl aren’t producing at their usual rates, the goaltending isn’t helping matters. They currently have the lowest save percentage in the NHL, at.861%.
It may seem strange to applaud McDavid, Draisatl, and Hyman as they sit in the box while head coach Jay Woodcroft heads to the dressing room after an altercation with the ref on Monday night, but this could be exactly what the Oilers need.
So far, the narrative surrounding this team has been that this is just a bad start and that they will recover. Monday was the first time we saw the Oilers’ big names show some fight and rage in the way their season has gone so far. That could help them a lot in the coming weeks as they try to get this season back on track.
The Calgary Flames (3-7-1, 7 points) are in seventh place.
6 (-1) the previous week
This week’s record is 1-1-0.
Over the weekend, the Calgary Flames snapped a six-game losing streak against the Seattle Kraken. That is the encouraging news. What’s the bad news? The Flames are still at odds with their fans in terms of what they want to see from the organization, as opposed to the internal outlook. While trade rumors have continued to swirl around the Flames, a steady stream of fans has been calling for a long-overdue rebuild.
It remains to be seen whether the victory over the Kraken on Saturday will be enough to turn the season around or simply prolong the process.
Taps for Sticks: Connor Zary has given the offense new life.
The 24th overall pick in the 2020 draft was called up to the big club on Thursday night against the Dallas Stars. On his first career shot, the 22-year-old rookie scored his first career goal. It wasn’t the most beautiful first goal we’ve ever seen, but it could be the spark the Flames need to re-ignite some of their stars and get them going offensively.
San Jose Sharks (1 point, 0-10-1)
8 (-) last week
This week’s record is 0-2-0.
This week, the San Jose Sharks have taken bad to a whole new level. If a 10-1 loss to the Canucks on Thursday wasn’t enough, they followed it up with a 10-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins the next night.
The Sharks are the first team in 58 years to surrender ten goals in a row.
Karlsson makes a return to Shark Tank.
Erik Karlsson, the defending Norris Trophy winner and a member of the Sharks for five seasons, returned to Northern California on Saturday evening. The star defenseman had two assists on the night, giving him eight points in ten games this season.
