Post by Vegas Golden Knights on Jan 11, 2023 14:37:16 GMT -6
With the PFHL at the halfway mark, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the greatest division the PFHL has ever seen, the Pacific Division.
What we know for sure is that there will be 5 Pacific division teams in the playoffs (LOL @ Central Division). But that means 3 will miss, and that will be 3 very good teams on the outside looking in, potentially including our defending champs, the LA Kings.
Anaheim Ducks:
The Ducks sit last in the Pacific division, but their 42 points would put them 1 or 2 points out of a playoff spot anywhere else. Anaheim has been quite inconsistent this year, hovering around .500 and going on mini-winning streaks, followed by mini-losing streaks. They are 4-5-1 in their last 10 and may be fading fast. This should be a team that excels at keeping the puck out of the net, between Goaltender Carter Hart and an above-average defense led by Shea Theodore, however they've given up the 7th most goals in the PFHL and are 19th in goals scored. That combination is a troubling trend for the Ducks chances of sneaking in to the wildcard spot. Travis shipped out Joel Eriksson Ek for Brock Boeser to help kickstart the top 6 but that doesn't seem to have had the desired effect, so far. Surprisingly, the Ducks rank 3rd in faceoff percentage, despite not having what I would consider a true #1 center. This does bode well for Ducks future, however, as they are a relatively young team who should only continue to get better. Anaheim is close to the cap and will need to make some decisions on free agents. Mark Stone could be a piece dealt near the deadline if Travis feels like he is out of the playoff hunt and doesn't want to commit the money it will take to re-sign. Anaheim is 5-5-2 vs the Pacific and will need to improve that to make any sort of run.
Prediction: Out of the playoffs
Calgary Flames
Another defensive minded team that hasn't had much luck keeping the puck of the net for whatever reason, Sean's Flames sit 3 points ahead of Ducks and just 4 points out of the last wildcard spot (Seattle does have 2 games in hand, however). They have done well to get above .500 after a bit of a rough start to the season. Calgary has 2 absolute studs on the blueline between Dahlin and Heiskanen. Not only should these 2 continue to develop their ratings for years to come, they are under Calgary control for reasonable money. Calgary also made a nice deal with New Jersey to acquire Mikhail Sergachev. Another young defenseman who should only continue to get better. Despite this impressive defense core, Calgary ranks 19th in goals against. However, the acquisition of Robin Lehner may have stabilized the goaltending situation...he is 8-4-4 since being acquired from Florida with a 2.89 GAA. Sean will have to hope this can help offset the 25th ranked Flames goal scoring, which is not seeing much scoring outside of the top line. And with Heiskanen and Dahlin (among others) below their top conditioning, they may be asking too much of their top guys. Calgary is 4-6-3 vs the Pacific division and will need to improve this record if they want to grab one of those playoff spots.
Prediction: Last team out of the playoffs
LA Kings
The defending champion LA Kings started the season 1-5 and looked like a team that was headed in to rebuild mode in a hurry. However, Corey has shown why he is a Championship caliber GM and turned the Kings season around to where they not only have gotten younger and shed some bad contracts, but actually have improved play. The Kings sit 14th in Goals for & Against, but they really excel in special teams play. Corey's team has the 2nd best PP & 3rd best PK. The Kings are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and in each of those games, has not given up more than 3 goals. LA looks poised to go on a bit of a run here and possible supplant Seattle for that last playoff spot. LA really has tons of options for this season. If they get hot, they could try to supplement their team in some way to see if they get another run going. Or Corey could decide to sell off some veterans. My feeling is that unless Corey gets very good offers for some of his veterans, he will ride it out to see if his team can make the playoffs, especially considering he does not own his 1st round pick this year. I think the Kings will really start unloading in the off-season and Weegar should command quite a haul. I have no info on Corey's strategy but after looking at his roster, my feeling is he will be selling a lot after the season and is going to be set up very well for the future. Whatever way Corey decides to go, it doesn't really matter. No one else can ever be our 1st ever Champ.
Prediction: Wildcard
Seattle Kraken
Seattle started the season 10-1 and looked well on their way to dominating the Pacific and the Western Conference but have been incredibly mediocre since that initial winning streak, only winning 2 in a row 1 time since. Without that initial surge, they might be at the bottom of the division but despite their recent issues, they still remain firmly in that final wildcard spot. They are 10th in goal scoring and 15th in goals against. This team seems to be led by their 2nd line of Josh Norris, William Nylander and Clayton Keller. They all average at least a point per game and have +/- in the double digits, something no one else on the team can claim. However, Josh may be relying on certain guys too much. Sebastian Aho's condition is currently at 95 and a few others are below 100. This team has shown it can be a contender and it's 9-4 record against the Pacific is impressive. What this team needs most is it's GM to shake things up, maybe try some more creative strategies...because they seem to be stagnating and falling down the standings, while everyone around them is heating up.
Prediction: Out of the playoffs & bankrupt
Vancouver Canucks
Early in the season, it seemed like Aaron might be losing a bit of hope with his Canucks. They were 3-6 and Patrick Kane was put on the block. It seemed like maybe they would reload for next season. A 9-3 run got them back in to the playoff hunt and a recent surge has got them knocking on the door of the division lead. Vancouver has gone an astounding 19-3-1 in their last 23 games to catapult themselves to within 4 points (with 2 games in hand) of the division lead. I wish I could tell you exactly what Aaron did to cause this turn around, but I really don't know. Maybe things just finally 'clicked' with his team. What I do see is a very deep team that has dangerous scoring threats on all 3 lines. Couple that with a very good defense and perhaps (outside of Vasilevskiy) the best goalie in the PFHL, and you have a recipe for success. The Canucks somehow only rank 15th in goals scored but when added to a team that is 2nd in the league in goals against, it has been good enough to make them elite. Hellebuyuck has been truly dominant this season. It also helps that Vancouver is #1 in shots against. Not only do they have a great goaltender, but the opportunities have been sparse as well. There aren't really any glaring issues with this roster. I'll be interested to see if Cooper Marody and Jordan Greenway can help contribute or hurt the team once they get to the playoffs and how tempted Aaron will be to try and maintain his depth, or go with 2 elite lines. The Canucks have a couple big name free agents in Kane and Duchene, should be interesting to see what Aaron decides to do there. The Cancuks are 6-5-2 vs the Pacific and 5 of their last 6 losses are vs Pacific division teams (including 3 vs the Sharks)
Prediction: Division Playoff Spot
Edmonton Oilers
To be honest, I haven't paid much attention to the Oilers this season. But I probably should have, they have been one of the most consistent teams in the league. They have only had one losing streak of more than 2 games. They have only had a losing streak of 2 or more games 3 times this season. It's quite impressive how quietly dominant of a team this has been. Their rankings are remarkably similar to Vancouver, being 16th in scoring and 1st overall in goals against. Their PK is among the best in the league at #4, but PP leaves much to be desired at #24. This team relys very heavily on their goaltender, Thatcher Demko. He has been lights out this year, 2nd only to Vasilevskiy in GAA & 4th in save percentage. Surprisingly, their top scorer is defenseman Torey Krug (3rd among all dmen) and they do not have a single 20 goal scorer, so far. After the top 2 lines, they really don't get anything out of their 3rd line. This may end up being a fatal flaw against some of the deeper teams in the league. The Oilers really need Jordan Kyrou to step up with a little more scoring. Tuch and Couture are both UFA at the end of the season, but the Oilers should be able to re-sign both, assuming they want to. Edmonton is 3-7-1 vs the Pacific division...this could be a red flag....they have been poor against the division and have played less games against the Pacific than others. If Edmonton can figure out a way to get a bit more scoring, then they could be a true contender. It remains to be seen what way Travis wants to take this squad.
Prediction: Wildcard
San Jose Sharks
Be careful not to get too close to this team or you might melt your face off....that's how hot the Sharks have been lately. 8 straight wins with a 17-3 record in their last 20 games has this team as the current favorites to win the Pacific division. I don't think any team has a good of a 1-2 punch as the Sharks do with Crosby and McDavid down the middle. As you might expect, those 2 drive the play for the Sharks. McDavid is having a typical MVP like season, leading the league in goals and points. This isn't necessarily a top heavy team, however and I really like what Matt has done recently, trading for Pietrangelo and Perron...improving his defense and getting some 3rd line scoring. They look really deep at every position. Unlike the goal ranking differential we saw with some other Pacific teams, the Sharks are just as good at both, ranking 2nd in goals scored and 4th in goals against. They also boast the leagues top PP. There isn't a whole lot to scrutinize here, Matt has built a team to win now...anchored by McDavid, they might do just that. Oh, and the Pacific division hasn't been too much of a problem for them at 9-5.
Prediction: Division Leaders
Vegas Golden Knights
Finally we save the best for last! The current leaders had a hot start to the season, going 14-3 and have maintained a lead...that has been rapidly shrinking due to a couple massive winning streaks from Vancouver and San Jose, and the continued solid play of the Oilers. Led by Auston Matthews and Claude Giroux, this is another team with a couple top centers to lead the way. Travis Konecny has also blossomed, sitting 3rd among right wings in points, while Trouba anchors the back end with 41 points. Vegas sits 7th in goals scored and 6th in goals against and have brought a balanced approach so far. Igor Shesterkin is 6th in GAA & Save percentage, but he has played the most minutes of any goalie in the league...Vegas is hoping the newly acquired Rask can take some of the load off. Also newly acquired Alex Wennberg has helped take some of the scoring load off the top 2 lines (5 pts in 7 games) but it remains to be seen if he can make any difference on the 22nd ranked Vegas PK. When that PK faces a #1 ranked San Jose power play unit, bad things happen. Despite all the big winning streaks around them, Vegas has been quite hot themselves recently as well, going 10-2-1 in their last 13 games and maintaining a slight lead over the rest of the Pacific. Vegas has a huge task ahead of them if they want to stay on top....the penalty kill must get better and they must continue to get additional secondary scoring. The defense could certainly use an upgrade, but it remains to be seen if or when that upgrade could come. Vegas must continue their solid play against the Pacific, they currently hold a 9-4 record against the rest of the division.
Prediction: Division playoff spot
What we know for sure is that there will be 5 Pacific division teams in the playoffs (LOL @ Central Division). But that means 3 will miss, and that will be 3 very good teams on the outside looking in, potentially including our defending champs, the LA Kings.
Anaheim Ducks:
The Ducks sit last in the Pacific division, but their 42 points would put them 1 or 2 points out of a playoff spot anywhere else. Anaheim has been quite inconsistent this year, hovering around .500 and going on mini-winning streaks, followed by mini-losing streaks. They are 4-5-1 in their last 10 and may be fading fast. This should be a team that excels at keeping the puck out of the net, between Goaltender Carter Hart and an above-average defense led by Shea Theodore, however they've given up the 7th most goals in the PFHL and are 19th in goals scored. That combination is a troubling trend for the Ducks chances of sneaking in to the wildcard spot. Travis shipped out Joel Eriksson Ek for Brock Boeser to help kickstart the top 6 but that doesn't seem to have had the desired effect, so far. Surprisingly, the Ducks rank 3rd in faceoff percentage, despite not having what I would consider a true #1 center. This does bode well for Ducks future, however, as they are a relatively young team who should only continue to get better. Anaheim is close to the cap and will need to make some decisions on free agents. Mark Stone could be a piece dealt near the deadline if Travis feels like he is out of the playoff hunt and doesn't want to commit the money it will take to re-sign. Anaheim is 5-5-2 vs the Pacific and will need to improve that to make any sort of run.
Prediction: Out of the playoffs
Calgary Flames
Another defensive minded team that hasn't had much luck keeping the puck of the net for whatever reason, Sean's Flames sit 3 points ahead of Ducks and just 4 points out of the last wildcard spot (Seattle does have 2 games in hand, however). They have done well to get above .500 after a bit of a rough start to the season. Calgary has 2 absolute studs on the blueline between Dahlin and Heiskanen. Not only should these 2 continue to develop their ratings for years to come, they are under Calgary control for reasonable money. Calgary also made a nice deal with New Jersey to acquire Mikhail Sergachev. Another young defenseman who should only continue to get better. Despite this impressive defense core, Calgary ranks 19th in goals against. However, the acquisition of Robin Lehner may have stabilized the goaltending situation...he is 8-4-4 since being acquired from Florida with a 2.89 GAA. Sean will have to hope this can help offset the 25th ranked Flames goal scoring, which is not seeing much scoring outside of the top line. And with Heiskanen and Dahlin (among others) below their top conditioning, they may be asking too much of their top guys. Calgary is 4-6-3 vs the Pacific division and will need to improve this record if they want to grab one of those playoff spots.
Prediction: Last team out of the playoffs
LA Kings
The defending champion LA Kings started the season 1-5 and looked like a team that was headed in to rebuild mode in a hurry. However, Corey has shown why he is a Championship caliber GM and turned the Kings season around to where they not only have gotten younger and shed some bad contracts, but actually have improved play. The Kings sit 14th in Goals for & Against, but they really excel in special teams play. Corey's team has the 2nd best PP & 3rd best PK. The Kings are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and in each of those games, has not given up more than 3 goals. LA looks poised to go on a bit of a run here and possible supplant Seattle for that last playoff spot. LA really has tons of options for this season. If they get hot, they could try to supplement their team in some way to see if they get another run going. Or Corey could decide to sell off some veterans. My feeling is that unless Corey gets very good offers for some of his veterans, he will ride it out to see if his team can make the playoffs, especially considering he does not own his 1st round pick this year. I think the Kings will really start unloading in the off-season and Weegar should command quite a haul. I have no info on Corey's strategy but after looking at his roster, my feeling is he will be selling a lot after the season and is going to be set up very well for the future. Whatever way Corey decides to go, it doesn't really matter. No one else can ever be our 1st ever Champ.
Prediction: Wildcard
Seattle Kraken
Seattle started the season 10-1 and looked well on their way to dominating the Pacific and the Western Conference but have been incredibly mediocre since that initial winning streak, only winning 2 in a row 1 time since. Without that initial surge, they might be at the bottom of the division but despite their recent issues, they still remain firmly in that final wildcard spot. They are 10th in goal scoring and 15th in goals against. This team seems to be led by their 2nd line of Josh Norris, William Nylander and Clayton Keller. They all average at least a point per game and have +/- in the double digits, something no one else on the team can claim. However, Josh may be relying on certain guys too much. Sebastian Aho's condition is currently at 95 and a few others are below 100. This team has shown it can be a contender and it's 9-4 record against the Pacific is impressive. What this team needs most is it's GM to shake things up, maybe try some more creative strategies...because they seem to be stagnating and falling down the standings, while everyone around them is heating up.
Prediction: Out of the playoffs & bankrupt
Vancouver Canucks
Early in the season, it seemed like Aaron might be losing a bit of hope with his Canucks. They were 3-6 and Patrick Kane was put on the block. It seemed like maybe they would reload for next season. A 9-3 run got them back in to the playoff hunt and a recent surge has got them knocking on the door of the division lead. Vancouver has gone an astounding 19-3-1 in their last 23 games to catapult themselves to within 4 points (with 2 games in hand) of the division lead. I wish I could tell you exactly what Aaron did to cause this turn around, but I really don't know. Maybe things just finally 'clicked' with his team. What I do see is a very deep team that has dangerous scoring threats on all 3 lines. Couple that with a very good defense and perhaps (outside of Vasilevskiy) the best goalie in the PFHL, and you have a recipe for success. The Canucks somehow only rank 15th in goals scored but when added to a team that is 2nd in the league in goals against, it has been good enough to make them elite. Hellebuyuck has been truly dominant this season. It also helps that Vancouver is #1 in shots against. Not only do they have a great goaltender, but the opportunities have been sparse as well. There aren't really any glaring issues with this roster. I'll be interested to see if Cooper Marody and Jordan Greenway can help contribute or hurt the team once they get to the playoffs and how tempted Aaron will be to try and maintain his depth, or go with 2 elite lines. The Canucks have a couple big name free agents in Kane and Duchene, should be interesting to see what Aaron decides to do there. The Cancuks are 6-5-2 vs the Pacific and 5 of their last 6 losses are vs Pacific division teams (including 3 vs the Sharks)
Prediction: Division Playoff Spot
Edmonton Oilers
To be honest, I haven't paid much attention to the Oilers this season. But I probably should have, they have been one of the most consistent teams in the league. They have only had one losing streak of more than 2 games. They have only had a losing streak of 2 or more games 3 times this season. It's quite impressive how quietly dominant of a team this has been. Their rankings are remarkably similar to Vancouver, being 16th in scoring and 1st overall in goals against. Their PK is among the best in the league at #4, but PP leaves much to be desired at #24. This team relys very heavily on their goaltender, Thatcher Demko. He has been lights out this year, 2nd only to Vasilevskiy in GAA & 4th in save percentage. Surprisingly, their top scorer is defenseman Torey Krug (3rd among all dmen) and they do not have a single 20 goal scorer, so far. After the top 2 lines, they really don't get anything out of their 3rd line. This may end up being a fatal flaw against some of the deeper teams in the league. The Oilers really need Jordan Kyrou to step up with a little more scoring. Tuch and Couture are both UFA at the end of the season, but the Oilers should be able to re-sign both, assuming they want to. Edmonton is 3-7-1 vs the Pacific division...this could be a red flag....they have been poor against the division and have played less games against the Pacific than others. If Edmonton can figure out a way to get a bit more scoring, then they could be a true contender. It remains to be seen what way Travis wants to take this squad.
Prediction: Wildcard
San Jose Sharks
Be careful not to get too close to this team or you might melt your face off....that's how hot the Sharks have been lately. 8 straight wins with a 17-3 record in their last 20 games has this team as the current favorites to win the Pacific division. I don't think any team has a good of a 1-2 punch as the Sharks do with Crosby and McDavid down the middle. As you might expect, those 2 drive the play for the Sharks. McDavid is having a typical MVP like season, leading the league in goals and points. This isn't necessarily a top heavy team, however and I really like what Matt has done recently, trading for Pietrangelo and Perron...improving his defense and getting some 3rd line scoring. They look really deep at every position. Unlike the goal ranking differential we saw with some other Pacific teams, the Sharks are just as good at both, ranking 2nd in goals scored and 4th in goals against. They also boast the leagues top PP. There isn't a whole lot to scrutinize here, Matt has built a team to win now...anchored by McDavid, they might do just that. Oh, and the Pacific division hasn't been too much of a problem for them at 9-5.
Prediction: Division Leaders
Vegas Golden Knights
Finally we save the best for last! The current leaders had a hot start to the season, going 14-3 and have maintained a lead...that has been rapidly shrinking due to a couple massive winning streaks from Vancouver and San Jose, and the continued solid play of the Oilers. Led by Auston Matthews and Claude Giroux, this is another team with a couple top centers to lead the way. Travis Konecny has also blossomed, sitting 3rd among right wings in points, while Trouba anchors the back end with 41 points. Vegas sits 7th in goals scored and 6th in goals against and have brought a balanced approach so far. Igor Shesterkin is 6th in GAA & Save percentage, but he has played the most minutes of any goalie in the league...Vegas is hoping the newly acquired Rask can take some of the load off. Also newly acquired Alex Wennberg has helped take some of the scoring load off the top 2 lines (5 pts in 7 games) but it remains to be seen if he can make any difference on the 22nd ranked Vegas PK. When that PK faces a #1 ranked San Jose power play unit, bad things happen. Despite all the big winning streaks around them, Vegas has been quite hot themselves recently as well, going 10-2-1 in their last 13 games and maintaining a slight lead over the rest of the Pacific. Vegas has a huge task ahead of them if they want to stay on top....the penalty kill must get better and they must continue to get additional secondary scoring. The defense could certainly use an upgrade, but it remains to be seen if or when that upgrade could come. Vegas must continue their solid play against the Pacific, they currently hold a 9-4 record against the rest of the division.
Prediction: Division playoff spot
