Pacific underwhelms, but has a competitive blend
Scuffling teams still in thick of playoff race
• Bruce Boudreau never thought his Anaheim Ducks would struggle so profoundly in the first half of the season.
The veteran coach also never imagined he would be grateful to be in the Pacific Division when it happened, since it means they’re still right in the playoff race.
“Yeah, we’ve been fortunate in that regard,” Boudreau said. “You don’t expect the teams in this division to help you out, given the competition that we’ve had out here recently. That’s hockey. Sometimes it doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
The combined struggles of the NHL’s westernmost division have been among the bigger surprises of the hockey season.
The Pacific was an intimidating bastion of hardhitting, fast- skating teams not too long ago. But for long stretches of this season, the Los Angeles Kings have looked like the only playoff-worthy team west of Denver.
Thanks to fan balloting, the Pacific’s captain at the AllStar Game will be now-former Arizona enforcer John Scott. There are still great players out West, from US$80-million Kings centre Anze Kopitar to Edmonton’s revitalized Taylor Hall. Their teams, though, are having a tough time getting much momentum.
Five of the seven Pacific clubs began the week with losing records when extratime losses are combined with regulation defeats. The Ducks, Canucks, Flames and Oilers have all underperformed, while the Sharks only recently snapped into form.
That’s left the Kings with a double-digit lead over Arizona atop the Pacific — a development that’s a historic shocker in itself.
Los Angeles has claimed two Stanley Cup titles in the past four years, but the franchise won its division only once in its first 47 seasons, and that back in 1991.
While the Kings have been largely outstanding, their Southern California archrivals have been one of the NHL’s biggest puzzles. The three-time defending Pacific champion Ducks have forgotten how to score consistently, ranking dead last in goals since the opening week.
The only pleasant surprise in the Pacific has been the Coyotes, who have hung tough in second place for much of the winter.