Who will win the Pacific Division?

The final quarter of the NHL season is upon us, and while some divisions have stood out as elite, the race to the top of the Pacific Division has been one of the lesser battles in recent history. 

As of Wednesday, the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers sat atop the division with 77 points — a mark that sees them 14th and 15th in the NHL, well behind most Eastern Conference teams bound for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, co-hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton broke down which teams are most likely to top the Pacific Division by season’s end. 

Tyler Yaremchuk: The Pacific Division is still wide open with anywhere from 13 to 15 games to go, depending on the team… but the winner of the Pacific Division will be?.

Carter Hutton: I’m gonna go with the Edmonton Oilers. I still think that dynamic. I don’t know about Leon Draisaitl being out. I think that’s a factor of the next man up, right? There’s gonna be more guys stepping up, playing in a better role. I think they get to a point where, hopefully, they can find ways to peak at the right time, something I’ve never really had to factor in betting against Edmonton during his run with these teams, but it is wild.

Looking at the standings, when you talk about Anaheim, Edmonton and Vegas at 77 to 76 points, they would be tied with Ottawa in the Eastern Conference. I can’t remember when there was a division this week, and a division so strong, so it will be a bit of a dogfight. And you look at the teams that are in there. I guess it’s just a team I struggle with. I don’t know what they are or what they’ve become. I think their goaltending has struggled so much, and nothing that you’re accustomed to in Edmonton, with the lack of goaltending you’ve been getting.

You can catch the rest of Wednesday’s episode here…