After dropping as low as sixth place last week within the Pacific Division, the San Jose Sharks have made surge up the division standings thanks to their current three-game winning streak. After blowing out the Toronto Maple Leafs by a 7-0 margin last weekend, the Sharks scored a pair of key victories over the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets the past two nights.
On the heels of those three victories, San Jose now sits in third place in the Pacific, sporting a 21-18-2 record and 44 points as they’ve reached the halfway point in their season.
The Los Angeles Kings continue to steamroll this division, and they will likely hold the top spot over the course of the second half. The Kings are maintaining their pole position behind the league’s third-best defense at 2.14 goals against per game, and a balanced offense that has seven players who have scored more than 20 points.
Leading the way is Anze Kopitar with 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists), while Tyler Toffoli leads the team with 20 goals and a plus-23 rating.
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The pleasant surprise of the first half of the season has been the play of the Arizona Coyotes, who sit in second place with 48 points. The Coyotes play an exciting brand of hockey with plenty of young players contributing to the league’s fifth-best offense. One player who has been at the forefront is Max Domi, who is second on the team with 31 points, and led the Coyotes to a 4-3 overtime win last night over Edmonton with three goals.
Somehow, some way, the Vancouver Canucks continue to garner enough points to hang in the division race as they are tied with San Jose at 44 points. Continuing with their theme from 2015, the Canucks have alternated wins and losses to begin 2016, although their last victory snapped the Florida Panthers 12-game win streak.
Similar to Vancouver, the Anaheim Ducks just can’t get out of their own way this season. After a three-game win streak to close out 2015, Anaheim has alternated losses and wins to kick off 2016 as their struggles to put the puck in the net continue. The Ducks are the only team in the league to average less than two goals per game at 1.85, and their 76 total goals for the year are 14 less than the next closest team.
The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers continue to hold down the cellar in the division as the teams haven’t been able to build upon extended winning streaks earlier this season. Calgary dropped a pair of tough division games against Arizona and San Jose which have hurt their chances to move up the standings. The Flames continue to be hampered by the worst special teams in the NHL, and one of the worst defensive units.
For Edmonton, the losses continue to mount as they are currently riding a three-game losing streak following their overtime defeat in Arizona. The good news for the Oilers is Connor McDavid is expected to return after the All-Star break, but the problem is they have played the most games in the division with 44.
Next: Sharks Down Jets For Third Straight Win
San Jose returns to the ice tomorrow night with another big divisional matchup as Todd McLellan makes his SAP Center return as the Oilers come to town. There are many fascinating dynamics in this one with McLellan coming back and the potential return of Raffi Torres to the lineup as his 41-game suspension is now over.
The Sharks close out the month of January with six of their last seven games at home so they have a big opportunity to further improve their position within the Pacific Division standings.