The San Jose Sharks are holding steady in the Pacific Division standings, sitting in third place with a 6-5-0 record and 12 points. San Jose had an up-and-down week, falling to the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars in closing contested games, before picking up a big victory over the Colorado Avalanche to kick off November.
The Sharks will look to find some consistency in all facets of their game, from special teams to their 5-on-5 play, as San Jose experienced a roller-coaster month of October. San Jose set the early pace in the division, racing out to a 4-0 record, but then they dropped five of their next six games. The Sharks need to establish a true identity as a team if they want to make a move up the standings.
Two teams that have surged to the top of the division are the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings. Both those teams are trending up, as the Kings have regained their tough-nosed, grind-it-out style of hockey. After beginning the season 0-3, Los Angeles rattled off seven-straight wins before falling to the Chicago Blackhawks last night.
Meanwhile, Vancouver bounced back after a rough stretch where they had lost four straight games. The Canucks picked up points in all four games last week, including three victories. Vancouver tops the division because of their recent form, led by a Top-10 offense (ninth with 2.92 goals per game) and a Top-10 defense (sixth with 2.17 goals per game).
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Similar to the Sharks, the Arizona Coyotes are holding their ground in the middle of the pack as they can’t seem to find a happy medium. The Coyotes have won three games in a row, lost their next four, then won their next two games, before dropping their next two games. While Arizona has hung tough in the early going, it will be difficult for this team to sustain this over the course of the season.
The only positives for the Edmonton Oilers is the play of Connor McDavid. McDavid was named the NHL rookie of the month after leading all rookies with 12 points in 12 games. However, it’s been a struggle for the Oilers who have lost four of their past five games due to a porous defense that ranks 28th in the league.
Finally, the Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks continue to falter at the bottom of the standings. The Flames did pick up a win over the Oilers last time out, but they’re still haunted by the worst defense in the league, an area that was supposed to be a strength for this team. Calgary is the only team in the league averaging more than four goals against per game.
In Anaheim, it’s been tough luck as the Ducks have been in a majority of their games, including losing three one-goal games last week. It was highlighted by a loss to the Dallas Stars where Anaheim blew a 3-0 first period lead. While the Ducks were able to pick up a much-needed win over Nashville last time out, this team still has plenty of work to do. Anaheim’s defense has been fine ranking 13th in the league, but their offense has been atrocious, averaging just 1.21 goals per game and they’ve already been shutout five times.
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San Jose has a big opportunity to gain some ground on the division as they play host to the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets tonight before playing Florida and Anaheim later in the week. The Sharks need to have a big homestand as they prepare to face their longest road trip of the season the following week.