Pacific Power Rankings, Week 21: Trade deadline week is here

Welcome back to another edition of the Pacific Power Rankings! Every week of the regular season, we’ll take you through how one of the most competitive divisions in the NHL is stacking up.

If you want to take a deeper dive into what else is going on in the Pacific Division, be sure to read Brennan Delaney’s weekly Pacific Division Notebook.

Let’s get into this week’s rankings:

1. Edmonton Oilers (37-20-2, 76 points)

Last week: 2 (+1)

Record this week: 3-0-0

Recency bias has officially taken over the top two spots of the power rankings for the past couple of weeks and this week the Edmonton Oilers looked like the better team. The Oilers didn’t have the best February but have come out firing in March with a win over the Kraken and a statement 6-1 win over the struggling Penguins. With games in hand on the division leading Canucks, it looks like it is going to come down to the wire for the Pacific title.

2. Vancouver Canucks (39-17-7, 85 points)

Last week: 1 (-1)

Record this week: 1-1-1

The Vancouver Canucks had the ultimate bounce back spot against the Ducks on Sunday after a tough stretch of  1-6-0 hockey. One of the biggest criticisms of the Canucks this season has been their inability to beat some of the better teams in the Western Conference. This week, they’ll have a chance to silence some of that chatter with a gruelling slate of the Kings, Golden Knights, and Jets.

3. Los Angeles King (31-19-10, 72 points)

Last week: 3

Record this week: 2-1-0

After stumbling their way through the classic Alberta back-to-back by dropping matching scores of 4-2, the Los Angeles Kings responded in a big way stringing together consecutive 5-1 victories of their own over the Canucks and Devils. The Kings have been pretty comfortable in the top Wild Card spot for a while now but with the Predators drawing even with them and the Golden Knights struggling, it’ll be interesting to see where they are in the standings this time next week.

4. Vegas Golden Knights (33-22-7, 73 points)

Last week: 4

Record this week: 1-3-0

There’s no question that the Vegas Golden Knights have been one of the more banged up teams this year with some significant losses piling up, but something has to give for them if they don’t want to slip down the standings any further. The Knights have dropped six of the last seven, including being outscored in their last two by Buffalo and Columbus 13-5 on aggregate. That doesn’t scream back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions.

5. Calgary Flames (30-25-5, 65 points)

Last week: 5

Record this week: 2-1-0

For the first time in two season, the Calgary Flames strung together a five game win streak. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to extend the streak to six due to a disappointing loss at the hands of the Kraken. There’s still a chance that the Flames can sneak there way into the final Wild Card but with the Predators on the heater they are running with, it’s going to be a grind.

6. Seattle Kraken (26-23-11, 63 points)

Last week: 6

Record this week: 2-1-0

Philipp Grubauer looks like he has taken his crease back for the Seattle Kraken, playing all three games this week. His .957 save percentage over those three games were enough to get his team a couple points but it is still an uphill battle for the Kraken as they head down the stretch. Sitting seven points back of the final Wild Card spot, they’re going to need more of the same from the German goaltender if they want to have a shot at making the postseason for the second straight year.

7. Anaheim Ducks (22-36-3, 47 points)

Last week: 7

Record this week: 2-1-0

Getting in the spirit of trade deadline, the Anaheim Ducks shipped off Ilya Lyubushkin to the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this week. That deal seems like it might just be a warm up for the front office as Adam Henrique and leading goal scorer Frank Vatrano are all but a certainty to depart at the deadline as well. On the ice, it was a decent week for the Ducks who strung together back to back wins before dropping one to the Canucks on Sunday.

8. San Jose Sharks (15-39-6, 36 points)

Last week: 8

Record this week: 0-3-1

Losers of seven straight and only picking up one win since the All-Star break, the San Jose Sharks are just counting down the days until the end of the season. They do have some pieces to sell off at the deadline which should get them some more picks over the next few years but other than that, there really isn’t much to be excited about in San Jose.