With close to 25 games left in each teams season, a few elite teams have just about punched their ticket into the playoffs. The Florida Panther have surprised everyone in 2016 by staying in first place despite Aaron Ekblad missing significant time due to injury. The Capitals and Rangers each have seven wins in their last ten games, and are about where they were expected to be this season. The Blackhawks, Blues and Stars have a 13 point gap between them and the rest of the division.
The only division that still does not have an elite team is the Pacific Division. We are close to 60 games played this season, and only three Pacific Division teams have winning records. What is harder to believe is that the top team only has a 10 point edge on one of the teams with a losing record. This race still has a number of contenders.
1.) Anaheim Ducks - 68 Points
The Ducks have won the Pacific Division in each of the last three years. Last season in particular, the team went to the Western Conference finals for the first time since their Stanley Cup victory in 2007. These fantastic seasons were all marred, though, by slow starts.
Therefore, when the Ducks only won one game in October, they were not flustered. Instead the Ducks have rebounded since the New Year. The team won seven in January and already won eight in February.
The key to their recent success has been the play of Ryan Getzlaf. He has proven this season to be the biggest indicator of the Ducks success. In the 28 wins he has played in, he has 36 points and a 23 +/-. In the 25 losses he has played in, he has 10 points and a -10 +/-.
In the month of February alone, he has scored four of his seven goals this season. He has an assist in all but one game in February and has 15 points total. During the teams ongoing four game-winning streak, he has two goals and six points. With Getzlaf finally returning to form, the Ducks are the top contender in the Pacific race.
2. San Jose Sharks - 67 Points
Since the return of Logan Couture, the Sharks have been a different team. They have 14 wins since Couture returned at the end of October, compared to only seven losses.
Three of those 14 wins have come during their ongoing winning streak. The team has not given up more than two goals during the streak, thanks in large part due to the fantastic play by net minder Martin Jones.
As always, though, the team will rely on its offensive prowess if they are to win the Pacific Division. They are fourth in the NHL in GPG with 2.9 and power play production with 22.2.
Joe Pavelski seems to heading towards another 30 goal season, which would be his fourth in a row if you do not include the lockout shortened season. His 26 goals put him at seventh in the league. Joe Thornton has 10 points already in February, and is looking like he could pass the 70 point threshold again.
3. Los Angeles Kings - 70 Points
They may be leading right now, but that doesn't automatically make them the favorites. The team has followed up a decent six win January with a grueling start to February. They are 3-4-1 so far in February and have opened the door for the rest of the division, except the lowly Oilers.
Jonathan Quick has been through a punishing schedule for the Kings so far this season. He has started in 46 of the teams 57 games. The question is, can Quick, at the age of 30, continue to play at a 70 games a season pace?
The team remains a solid 11th in offense and 6th in defense, so they are still a formidable unit. Anze Kopitar has scored four goals and put up nine points during the tough month. Drew Doughty is a premier defender in the league, with 37 points and a 14 +/- in 28 minutes of action per game.