BlueLineStation Division Preview: Pacific

The Pacific Division has its good teams and not so good teams, just like any other division in the NHL. Here are predictions for how those in the Pacific will stack up in the 2014-2015 season.

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Pacific division predictions /

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Probable Division Champs: Anaheim Ducks

Word on the ice is the Ducks are likely to win their third straight Division title. Anaheim went 54-20-8 last season, putting them second in the league in performance points (116), just one point behind the Boston Bruins. Additionally, the Ducks led the NHL in goals with 263. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are two big reasons why that number is as high as it is and they’re guaranteed to be back for more. Teemu Selanne’s retirement is heartbreaking among longtime hockey fans, yet his absence shouldn’t be a huge detriment in Anaheim’s ability to win games. On the other hand, Nick Bonino and Mathieu Perreault are also gone from the team. Both players tallied over 40 points each in the regular season and that is a lot of points to lose. Their absence leaves a considerable amount of doubt in if Anaheim can repeat their success. However, Ryan Kesler coming in from the Vancouver Canucks makes up for some of that doubt. The forward posted 43 points last year, but he has recorded over 70 points a couple of times in his career. If the Ducks don’t take the number one spot, one of two other teams undoubtedly will.

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Most likely to contend for the number one spot: San José Sharks and Los Angeles Kings

The Kings may have won the Stanley Cup, and the Sharks may have choked so bad in the playoffs that General Manager Doug Wilson still can’t believe it, but that doesn’t have anything to do with how well these teams will rank in the Division this year. LA has been known to only put full force into their playoff games where it matters most, limiting their risk of burning out before then. The Kings went 46-28-8 and put up 198 goals in the last regular season. That’s less than any other team in the Pacific and in the bottom five among all thirty NHL teams. Meanwhile, the Sharks tallied 239 goals (6^th, behind the Pittsburgh Penguins) and finished with a record of 51-22-9. With that said, the number of goals you can score doesn’t matter if your defense has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. LA’s superior defense, especially along with goaltender Jonathan Quick, is the reason they are just as close to the Division title as San José.

Probable worst team in the division: Calgary Flames

For a team that led in shorthanded goals, there isn’t much else for Calgary to boast about from last season. The Flames went 35-40-7, giving them a total of 77 performance points. The Edmonton Oilers may have had a worse season with only 67 performance points, yet that team is looking at better odds for a comeback than the Flames. Calgary is still working on rebuilding a team in a division where competition is only getting tougher. They’re also depending on a lot of young talent to move up in the ranks, including their fourth overall pick in the draft, but it’s going to take more than one season to see significant improvements from the team overall.

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Overall Predicted Rankings:

1) Anaheim Ducks

2) San José Sharks

3) Los Angeles Kings

4) Vancouver Canucks

5) Arizona Coyotes

6) Edmonton Oilers

7) Calgary Flames

Well there you have it, the projected rankings in the Pacific Division for 2014-2015. Feel free to leave a comment on how spot on these predictions are below.

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