by Will Rogers
Wednesday, Nov 01, 2023Prior to the season, I looked at some of the teams from the Pacific Division. I previewed the Canucks, Oilers, Flames and the Kraken. With those clubs having all played a decent number of games, it's time to get caught up on where they're at.
Edmonton: Through their first eight games, the Oilers are sitting at 2-5-1. This is not the start that they envisioned. Beating up on their provincial rival in their last game has them pointed in the right direction. The talent is still there and they still should be fine. However, seven of their next 11 games come on the road. They need to smarten up before digging themselves too deep a hole.
Calgary: A coaching change was supposed to be just what the under-achieving Flames needed. Outscored 34-19 in going 2-6-1, perhaps the Flames' issues were deeper than Calgary fans wanted to admit. I also thought they'd be better. They play eight of their next 12 on the road. The season could be over before it started. The Flames know things are bad. They've suspended all contract talks.
Vancouver: Things are much rosier on the West Coast than they are in the Prairies. The Canucks have gotten used to slow starts. So, they're very much appreciating going 6-2-1 through their first nine games. They've outscored opposing teams by a 36-21 margin. They've got a lot of winnable upcoming games, including three in November against a really bad San Jose team. This looks like a legit playoff team.
Seattle: Everything went right for the Kraken last season. So far this season? Not so much. Seattle sits at 3-5-1. No longer sneaking up on teams, the Kraken have been outscored 34-24. Much of that was thanks to an 0-4 start. They've been better since. Though the Kraken should remain competitive on most nights, the playoffs look like they could be a long-shot.
The Pacific Division is currently home to the both the top team in the NHL, in terms of points and also the worst. All four teams are chasing Vegas. The Knights (9-0-1) are setting the pace in the Pacific. I touched on the Sharks being a bad team. They could be historically bad. They're 0-8-1 getting outscored 35-9. Of course, there's still a long way to go. It'll be interesting to see where we're at by this time next month!
Edmonton: Through their first eight games, the Oilers are sitting at 2-5-1. This is not the start that they envisioned. Beating up on their provincial rival in their last game has them pointed in the right direction. The talent is still there and they still should be fine. However, seven of their next 11 games come on the road. They need to smarten up before digging themselves too deep a hole.
Calgary: A coaching change was supposed to be just what the under-achieving Flames needed. Outscored 34-19 in going 2-6-1, perhaps the Flames' issues were deeper than Calgary fans wanted to admit. I also thought they'd be better. They play eight of their next 12 on the road. The season could be over before it started. The Flames know things are bad. They've suspended all contract talks.
Vancouver: Things are much rosier on the West Coast than they are in the Prairies. The Canucks have gotten used to slow starts. So, they're very much appreciating going 6-2-1 through their first nine games. They've outscored opposing teams by a 36-21 margin. They've got a lot of winnable upcoming games, including three in November against a really bad San Jose team. This looks like a legit playoff team.
Seattle: Everything went right for the Kraken last season. So far this season? Not so much. Seattle sits at 3-5-1. No longer sneaking up on teams, the Kraken have been outscored 34-24. Much of that was thanks to an 0-4 start. They've been better since. Though the Kraken should remain competitive on most nights, the playoffs look like they could be a long-shot.
The Pacific Division is currently home to the both the top team in the NHL, in terms of points and also the worst. All four teams are chasing Vegas. The Knights (9-0-1) are setting the pace in the Pacific. I touched on the Sharks being a bad team. They could be historically bad. They're 0-8-1 getting outscored 35-9. Of course, there's still a long way to go. It'll be interesting to see where we're at by this time next month!
