The Pacific Division is a hot mess right now. It’s hyper-competitive with the top six teams separated by five points (as of the afternoon of Nov. 18). This parity means that every team is imperfect and has at least one trait that should make fans nervous. Some clubs can’t score, some have worrying play in between the pipes, and a few look great until you dig into the numbers.
Here is one worrying stat for each team (per Natural Stat Trick) and what it probably means for the rest of their season.
Anaheim Ducks: 31.8 Scoring Chances Allowed Per 60 Minutes (Worst in the NHL)
A team giving up 31.8 scoring chances per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 is basically inviting chaos every night. For the Anaheim Ducks, it means their structure falls apart often enough, and their goalies have to bail them out way too much. This is some fun heavy-metal type of hockey. But this formula is unsustainable and will catch up with them. If they can’t tighten up defensively, they may slip down the standings.
Related: NHL 2025-26 Power Rankings: Week 6
Los Angeles Kings — 28.6% Home Point Percentage (1-4-2, 2nd Worst in NHL)
Only grabbing 28.6 percent of points at home is brutal. If the New York Rangers hadn’t been worse, the focus would be on these Los Angeles Kings. Good teams build their seasons around taking care of business in their own building, and the Kings just are not doing that. If they cannot fix it, they fall out of the division race and end up losing to the Edmonton Oilers for a fifth straight year.
Seattle Kraken: 20.8 Scoring Chances Created Per 60 (Last in NHL)
Creating the fewest scoring chances at 5-on-5 per 60 is like having no offense at all. The Seattle Kraken just are not generating enough, and that makes every game a grind. When you cannot create looks, you either need perfect defense, red-hot goaltending, or a lot of puck luck. Fortunately, the Kraken have upper-tier shooting and save percentages (PDO). Otherwise, they will start getting exposed.
Vegas Golden Knights: 6 Overtime Losses (Most in NHL)
Six overtime losses show that the Vegas Golden Knights can get to the finish line, but cannot finish the job. It hints at a team struggling to close out games or lacking that last bit of playmaking, which is emphasized in the 3-on-3 format. These missed points add up quickly and can decide the division or playoff seeding. If they keep leaving points on the table, the Golden Knights may make their Stanley Cup journey harder than it needs to be.
Edmonton Oilers: 86.5 Percent Save Percentage (Second Worst)
What a shocker. The Edmonton Oilers, yet again, have goaltending issues. Even if the Oilers play well, they just are not getting stops. You cannot outscore this kind of goaltending forever, and the pressure on the stars becomes even greater. Optimists can assume that Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard will get better. Pragmatists will want to trade for a new one. Otherwise, forget another Stanley Cup Final run. The Oilers could miss the playoffs.
San Jose Sharks: 44.1 CF% and 41.2 FF% at 5-on-5 (Last in NHL)
A lot of nuance is needed before throwing out Corsi and Fenwick numbers. But they say one thing clearly: the San Jose Sharks are spending nearly three-fifths of their games without the puck. And when you’ve got the dynamic duo of Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, you want to have it. Teams with numbers this low usually end up exactly where the Sharks are: a long way from contending.
Vancouver Canucks: 67.1 Percent Penalty Kill (Worst in NHL)
A 67.1 percent penalty kill (PK) (per NHL.com) is nowhere near acceptable. This means the Vancouver Canucks give up a power-play goal every game on average (they average three penalty kills a game). Even if they play well at even strength (they usually don’t), a PK this low ruins momentum and kills games. This is exacerbated by giving up over 30 scoring chances at 5-on-5 (third-most). The Canucks are closer to the first-overall pick than a playoff spot if this sticks.
Calgary Flames: Last in Goals, Power Play, and Shooting Percentage
The Calgary Flames look to be on the fast track to win the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes. They are last in many major offensive metrics, including goals (2.1 per game), power play (11.9%), and shooting percentage (7%). It is a perfect storm of offensive problems. When a team is this cold, every game becomes a struggle, and one mistake is usually enough to lose. It’s just a question of how many games they lose to “clinch” last place in the league.
How These Trends Shape the Divisional and Playoff Race
All of these numbers paint a pretty clear picture of where the Pacific is headed. Some teams are dealing with fixable issues, but others have problems that could tank their season if they linger. A bad penalty kill, weak goaltending, or an offense that can’t create enough chances usually tells you exactly how things will end up.
The division is tight enough that even a small slump can knock a team out of the playoff race, and a hot streak can launch someone right back in. How each team responds to these warning signs will decide who rises, who fades, and who ends up watching the playoffs from home.
