The Pacific Division is one of the more challenging to predict, with the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vegas Golden Knights all vying for the top position.
NHL odds have the Oilers as marginal favorites (+200), while the Flames (+275) and Golden Knights (+300) round out the triumvirate expected to tussle for the division crown.'
Pacific Division Preview'
Whatever you do, don’t toss a coin to determine who to back to win the Pacific Division.'
While the difference between Calgary and Edmonton is marginal, there are a few reasons to put your money on Darryl Sutter’s Flames.'
table_builder($table) –>
| Team | Odds to Win Division |
| Oilers | +200 |
| Flames | +275 |
| Golden Knights | +300 |
| Kings | +450 |
| Canucks | +1100 |
| Ducks | +8000 |
| Sharks | +8000 |
| Kraken | +8000 |
The Edmonton Oilers are expected to win the Pacific Division after signing Evander Kane and acquiring Jack Campbell from the Toronto Maple Leafs.'
Kane assimilated to life in Edmonton better than anyone expected, scoring 13 goals in 15 playoff games and quickly becoming one of the team’s most instrumental players.''
He strengthens an already formidable offensive lineup.
Everyone knows about the most lethal duo in the league, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, so there’s no need to dive into just how dominant a tandem they are. Thanks mainly to their contributions, the Oilers scored 3.48 goals per game last season, seventh most in the league.'
Campbell proved in Toronto' he is a bonafide No. 1 netminder. He also showed he could handle the intense pressure of being in an all-encompassing Canadian market. However, inconsistency occasionally creeps into Campbell’s game.'
In addition, the Oilers’ defensive corps is mediocre at best, an Achilles heel that could prove their undoing. They allowed 3.06 goals per contest, good for 15th overall.'
Campbell will probably succeed in helping the Oilers decrease the number of goals they concede, but he will need to rely on a defense that is too mistake-prone, preventing them from winning the division.'
Things should go down to the wire, with their arch rivals located just 300 kilometers south prevailing in a photo finish.'
Prediction: Second Place'
What a difference a few months makes, the understatement of the year if you reside in Cowtown. The Flames saw their two supposed franchise players, Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, abscond for pastures anew.'
Just when it looked like the omnipresent and ominous cloud enveloping the Stampede City was there to stay, general manager Brad Treliving pulled off not one but two coups.'
He replaced Gaudreau with Jonathan Huberdeau, who scored 115 points, the same total as the outgoing Johnny.'
Treliving also landed top-four defenseman MacKenzie Weegar in the Tkachuk trade, making the Flames even deeper on the blueline.''
An exclamation mark was emphatically slammed onto the Flames’ offseason when news broke of Nazem Kadri’s signing. The Stanley Cup champion combines elite talent, fiery grit, and an undisputed winning pedigree.'
Even with the addition of Kadri and Huberdeau, the Flames are inferior to the Oilers’ bedazzling offense, at least on paper.'
However, the Flames were, somewhat surprisingly, more prolific than the Oilers in the 2021-22 campaign, scoring the league’s sixth most goals per game (3.55). In addition, the Flames, especially after landing Weegar, have the advantage on the blueline and in goal.'
Calgary had the third-best goals against average (2.51) last season, a number Sutter will be focused on lowering. Moreover, Jacob Markstrom should use his dreadful series against the Oilers as an added incentive.'
Markstrom finished second in Vezina voting and has proven he can consistently perform at his peak level in Calgary, at least in the regular season. The Flames will take the Pacific Division thanks to Markstrom and a reliable and stingy defensive core.
Prediction: Division Winner'