NHL: Pacific Divison futures after ASG break favoring Canucks

With the All-Star festivities in Toronto having taken place over the weekend, it’s now time to look ahead to the second half of the season, which began on Monday. One of the most intriguing divisions in the NHL is the Pacific Division, with a plethora of teams that could be contenders come playoff time. Currently in first place are the surprising Vancouver Canucks, who have taken the league by storm. But, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Edmonton Oilers, and the Los Angeles Kings can’t be overlooked in the Pacific Division futures quite yet, either.

Canucks

Vancouver seven points clear in first place? Who would’ve guessed it? Absolutely no one. The Canucks have been disappointing across the last few seasons but are flipping the script in 2023-24. Their 71 points tied with the Boston Bruins for the most in the league. This is a young, talented team with loads of potential. The Nucks rank first in the NHL in goals scored (3.8) and second in fewest goals allowed (2.55). Vancouver is also 8-0-2 in their last 10 games and has shown zero signs of slowing down anytime soon. It’s no surprise they own -153 odds at 888sport to win the division.

Oilers

Edmonton truly got off to a horrible start to the campaign but boy, have they turned things around in a hurry. The Oilers are riding a 16-game winning streak, improving their record to 29-15-1. Connor McDavid and Co. are firing on all cylinders and the superstar duo of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are playing tremendous hockey. Edmonton has never won the Pacific Division before but they’re always a regular in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Currently 12 points out of first place, it would take a collapse from the Canucks for the Oilers to catch them.

Golden Knights

Vegas has won the Pacific Division three times since becoming an expansion team, including last season when they took home Lord Stanley. At this point, the Golden Knights have the best shot of actually catching the Canucks. Vegas owns a 29-15-6 record for a total of 64 points, only seven behind Vancouver. While winning the Pacific isn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things when it comes to the playoffs, there’s no question the Golden Knights will want to beat out the Canucks for top spot. They have the third-best odds at most NHL sportsbooks.

Kings

The Los Angeles Kings are a longshot to win the Pacific Division at this point considering they are 15 points out of first place. LA has been pretty inconsistent throughout the year and has a poor 3-5-2 record in their last 10 outings. There are numerous divisional clashes still ahead for the Kings this season against the likes of the Oilers, Canucks, Kraken, and Golden Knights. Those will undoubtedly have a huge impact on where they end up in the division at the season’s end. Los Angeles is probably one to overlook if betting on Pacific Division futures.