The reward for being first in the Pacific Division is peace of mind. Pacific Division standings and the Western Conference wild card spots will come down to a wild sprint for the finish line. With a nine-point lead over the last wild card team, the first-place Calgary Flames can be quite confident of their place in the postseason. But others won't sleep as well until the Western Conference playoff pool is sorted out.
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Here is a look at the Pacific Division race and the wild card scramble in terms of who is the key stretch drive figure for each team:
Los Angeles Kings ( Cal Petersen): With No. 1 defensemanDrew Doughty possibly out for the rest of the season and the Edmonton Oilers closing in, the Kings need Petersen to be rock solid down the stretch. The Oilers are playing better than the Kings of late, and the Oilers are one point behind with two games in hand. Petersen started the last three Kings’ games and five of their last six. In his last 10 appearances, Petersen owns two shutouts and gave up two goals in four other games. Edmonton Oilers (Leon Draisaitl): We’ve all been guilty of talking too much about the team’s sub-par goaltending. The truth is the Oilers’ goaltending has been good enough to help them win their last four and 10 of their last 13. It feels as if the Oilers will catch the Kings. Everyone understands what a dominant performer Draisaitl is. Yet he still is overshadowed by Connor McDavid’s aura. Draisaitl is having his best NHL season. With eight goals and 13 points in his past six games, he’s making us forget Edmonton’s goaltending is mediocre.
Vegas Golden Knights (Jack Eichel): There’s probably more pressure on Eichel than anyone else on the Golden Knights. The Vegas organization moved mountains, and got creative with their salary cap, to bring Eichel aboard. Eichel is delivering with nine goals and 17 points in 23 games. The Golden Knights are in the midst of their important eight-game stretch. Seven of the games are against non-playoff teams. They are already 5-0 in those games. If they could go 8-0 in this stretch, then momentum could carry them into the top three. Eichel needs to be the difference-maker in this stretch.
Nashville Predators (Jusse Saros): Saros hasn’t been as invincible as he seemed earlier in the season. Over his past five games, he has given up 18 goals and posted a save percentage of .895. The Predators need more sharpness from him or they are vulnerable to tumble out of a wild card spot. They do have two games in hand to the Golden Knights.
Dallas Stars (Jason Robertson): The Stars’ 4-1 loss to the expansion Seattle Kraken could end up haunting the Stars. This playoff chase is so tight that it feels like that loss counts as two losses. The Stars should have won that game. They are 7-3 in their last 10. Robertson is only 22, but he is the team’s go-to guy. This team doesn’t look to Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin to carry the load anymore. They look to Robertson and Roope Hintz. To make the playoffs, the Stars need Roberton to play like a 10-year veteran.
Winnipeg Jets (Connor Hellebuyck): Six points is too many to make up in 12 games, but they do have one game in hand to the Golden Knights. Hellebuyck has played well lately, but he will have to play like he did in 2017-18 to pull the Jets into the playoffs. That’s the season in which he was 44-11 and posted a 2.36 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. His save percentage is .912 this season.
Vancouver Canucks (Bruce Boudreau): Their 3-4-3 record in the last 10 games probably doomed them. They would have to make up an eight-point deficit in 12 games. Boudreau does have some magic in his coaching game. He can persuade players to perform at their highest level. That’s their only hope.