The Pacific Division is tightening up fast, and the race for third has become the kind of weekly shuffle that can change the whole look of the standings. Anaheim has surged into that spot on the back of a five-game winning streak, while San Jose has slid the other way with five straight losses. In between, the rest of the division spent the week sorting itself out in all kinds of ways.
Anaheim’s run has been the loudest statement. Since a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 1, the Ducks have kept stacking results, beating the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers by 5-4 scores on their Western Canada trip, then handling the Calgary Flames 5-3 before finishing the week with another 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
That stretch has pushed them to 10-7-1 and up to third in the division. They’ll stay home this week for games against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday, the New York Islanders on Saturday, and the Flames on Sunday.
Calgary, meanwhile, had a week that showed both sides of its season. The Flames opened with a 2-1 win over the Sharks on Monday, then dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to the Seattle Kraken to close out the road trip.
Friday brought a 5-3 loss to the Ducks after Calgary had led 3-1, but the group bounced back Sunday with a 4-3 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers. At 8-9-1, they sit four points from a playoff spot, and since an 0-5-0 start they’ve gone 8-4-1.
Their schedule this week includes the New York Rangers on Wednesday, then a California trip to face the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday and the Ducks on Sunday.
Edmonton still sits atop the Pacific at 12-3-3, but the last week offered a few warning signs. The Oilers dropped a 4-3 decision to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday and then lost a penalty-heavy 5-4 game to Anaheim.
They did get back on track with a 4-2 home win over Vancouver on Saturday, though it took until the third period to put that one away. The underlying numbers, as the source material notes, point to a team leaning heavily on Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard’s finishing, along with strong goaltending.
Edmonton will host the Rangers on Monday and the Flyers on Wednesday before heading into a six-game road trip that includes the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and the Flyers on Sunday.
Los Angeles had a lighter slate, playing just twice. The Kings beat San Jose 7-2 on Nov. 4, then lost 5-2 to the Penguins on Saturday in the first game of a five-game homestand.
Their 5-8-2 record through 15 games leaves them in a rough spot, and after five straight first-round exits, the article frames them as looking more and more like a team whose playoff run may be ending. They’ll host the Predators on Tuesday, the Islanders on Thursday, and the Flames on Saturday.
San Jose’s week was the ugliest of the bunch. The Sharks held a “players-only meeting” and still lost all four games, falling 2-1 to Calgary, 7-2 to Los Angeles, 4-1 to the Minnesota Wild, and 4-3 to the Dallas Stars.
That pushed them into a five-game losing streak and dropped their record from 7-6-1 to 7-11-1, leaving them six points out of a playoff spot. Their schedule doesn’t get any easier: the Islanders on Monday, the Penguins on Wednesday, a trip to face the Utah Mammoth on Saturday, and then the Predators at home on Sunday.
Seattle’s week was short but productive enough to keep them in the mix. The Kraken beat Calgary 2-1 in overtime before falling 4-3 to the Rangers, and at 9-6-1 they’ve slipped out of a playoff position after spending much of October in third. They’re headed to Europe next for a pair of games against the Carolina Hurricanes in Helsinki.
Vancouver’s season keeps going the wrong way. The Canucks lost 5-4 to Anaheim, 6-2 to Winnipeg, and 4-2 to Edmonton, dropping to 3-15-1. This week brings a home game against the Flyers on Monday, the Rangers on Friday, and then a trip south to face the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.
Vegas, for its part, had a strong road swing to start the month. The Golden Knights opened with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins, then answered with three straight wins: 3-2 over the Penguins, 2-1 over the Detroit Red Wings, and 4-1 over the Buffalo Sabres.
That 3-0-1 stretch has them at 12-5-2 for 26 points, one behind Edmonton for the division lead. They return home to face the Mammoth on Wednesday, the Predators on Friday, and the Canucks on Sunday.
In Other News...
Devin Cooley Is Giving Flames Fans A New Subplot To Watch
Devin Cooley has found himself with an unexpected little spotlight beyond the Flames crease, and its creating a fresh subplot for Calgary fans to follow. After his motivational comments about the unique pressures goalies face started making the rounds, the Calgary netminder saw the reaction extend well past his own locker room, with Pittsburgh rookie Sergei Murashov publicly thanking him for the perspective.
Cooley said he appreciated the shoutout and noted that the response has not stopped there, with other goalies also reaching out since the remarks went viral. He has backed up the attention with solid play this season, and now there is at least a chance the story gets another chapter if he and Murashov cross paths when the Flames and Penguins meet again. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Suddenly Have A Blue Line Decision They Can't Rush
Kevin Bahls injury has left the Flames staring at a blue-line problem they did not want to be dealing with this early, and it is one that cant be solved by simply forcing a move. The loss of a defenseman for the season after Achilles surgery changes the conversation in a hurry, especially for a Calgary team that still has to think carefully about how it wants to build out its back end rather than just react to the first available option.
Craig Conroy now has to weigh whether the answer comes from a young defenseman already in the system or from a short-term addition that actually fits the timeline. The temptation to patch the hole is obvious, but the Flames do not sound inclined to make a trade just for the sake of filling space, which leaves the next step on defense very much unresolved as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Blue Line Loss Leaves Craig Conroy Facing A Tough Choice
Kevin Bahls absence has left the Flames with a hole on the blue line that is hard to ignore, and it has put Craig Conroy in a spot every general manager knows well: address the need now, or trust the group already in the room. Bahl had become a meaningful part of Calgarys defensive mix, so losing him for the rest of the season changes the shape of the back end and forces the club to weigh its options with a little more urgency than it would have liked.
What makes this decision tricky is the kind of move Calgary is likely to consider. The market does not always hand out clean fixes, and the Flames have to think about more than just plugging a gap for a few weeks. A young defender or a shorter-term addition could make more sense than a pure rental, but whichever direction Conroy chooses, the loss of Bahl has turned a manageable situation into one that now demands a careful answer. [Read more 🡒]