Playoff Race in the Pacific Division of the NHL
The playoff race in the Pacific division of the NHL is heating up, with the top three teams battling for the division title. Unlike the Atlantic division, where three teams have already solidified their spot in the playoffs, the Pacific division is still open.
On Tuesday night, two important games were played that further tightened the race. The Calgary Flames defeated the Los Angeles Kings, while the Edmonton Oilers beat the Vegas Golden Knights to move closer to clinching a berth in the playoffs.
Golden Knights Remain in the Lead
The Vegas Golden Knights are currently sitting atop the Pacific division standings with 98 points, followed by the Los Angeles Kings with 96 points and the Edmonton Oilers with 95 points. The Golden Knights have nine games remaining on their schedule, including a crucial matchup against the Kings in their next game.
Despite having a difficult schedule ahead, the Kings still have leverage within the division. The makeup of these three teams couldn’t be more different from one another. The Golden Knights are a deep possession-based team, while both, Kings and Oilers have deadly power plays. The Oilers also have an excellent goal differential, which makes them strong contenders for winning this year’s Pacific division title.
Oilers Beat Golden Knights
The Edmonton Oilers dominated against Vegas Golden Knights to prove themselves as strong contenders for this year’s Pacific division title. With Ryan NugentHopkins’ career-high five points and Edmontons power play scoring three goals, they beat Vegas Knights 7-4 at home on Tuesday night.
NugentHopkins helped make sure of it with a goal and four assists, making him four points away from 100 this season; his previous career-high was 69 in the 2018-19 season. Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman each extended their goal streaks to three games, and Draisaitl’s point streak reached 10 games (six goals, 14 assists). Connor McDavid and NugentHopkins have ongoing nine-game streaks, and Nurse is on a six-game streak.
The win puts the Edmonton Oilers closer to the Pacific division title, just one point behind the Los Angeles Kings. With NHL’s two leading scorers and an eight-game point streak, Oilers are playing like a team no one wants to face in the playoffs. They cooled off the Golden Knights team that had won four games in a row and eight of nine. The Oilers also prevented Vegas Golden Knights from clinching a playoff spot.
Playoff Race Still Open
The playoff race in the Pacific division is still open, making it difficult to say which team will win. With many games left until the end of the season, any of these three teams could emerge victorious.
It is an exciting time for NHL fans as they wait to see who will come out on top in the Pacific division race. One thing is certain, it’s going to be an intense battle until the very end.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
