How is Pacific NOT the worst division?
Metro and Central are bloodbaths
Atlantic has 3 of the top 7 teams last year. This year the same teams are still good but the teams with off years are playing well in Montreal, Ottawa, and even the Sabres have a winning record. The only objectively awful team is Detroit. The rest are mediocre at best.
Pacific?
Who is the best team? I am not sure any of those teams make the top 3 spots in any other division outside of maybe the Sharks.
Ducks started with wins but were being bailed out by insane goaltending which cannot be kept up and they are regressing now.
Kings are terrible
Nucks always start hot and will be in the bottom 10 by the end of the year.
Flames and Oilers are in the same boat of meh. Bubble teams at best.
Vegas falling back to earth like everyone expected
Coyotes can't even score.
Literally one playoff team in the whole division in the Sharks who are old and will likely be injured like usual going into the playoffs.
If I was a central team I would be liking my lips at the thought of almost a free pass into the 2nd round if I was lucky enough to match one of those Pacific teams in the playoffs.
So just subjective nonsense then. Your opinion about each team and how "trash" they are is pretty irrelevant. Every division is a bloodbath, what logic are you even applying to your analysis...? Its the NHL. Last year Buffalo was the worst team in the league, now Detroit looks like they are trying to set a franchise low....just because a division is top heavy doesnt mean it's good.
It doesnt make sense to me. We just saw an expansion team go to the finals, divisional strength is pretty much becoming a thing of the past. You cant really say the division is bad because the expansion team finished first, because they had to beat a central (and best RS team) to go to the SC. I bet Nashville was licking their chops when they got blitzed in the West final last year. Right?
Avg points between the divisions was:
Central: 98.43
Metro: 92.125
Pacific: 89.125
Atlantic: 87.375
Avg GF/GA:
Central: 249.14/228.71
Metro: 249.375/253.25
Atlantic: 242.125/252.25
Pacific: 234.5/238.375
Look how even the scoring GF/GA was in the Pacific. Lower but even. Central has one less team so there is more variance in the team based stats.
Number of teams in the finals (wins) per division:
Metro - 5 (3)
Central - 3 (2)
Pacific - 5 (2)
Atlantic - 3 (1)
Went back to 2011 because that's the last time an Atlantic team won the cup. Didnt want to seem biased.
"Literally one playoff team" though. I mean, that's impossible because each division gets two spots, F for effort man.
Um, might it have something to do with the fact that the Oilers have 9 points in 8 games, and therefore the 2nd highest points percentage in the Pacific?
Hot take. Maybe the division is just evenly matched with each other? Love the 8 game hot takes. Nucks always start hot. Cgy has a ton of variance each game, and has played the nucks twice. Not all divisions have played the same number of divisional games to this point.
This divisional strength stuff is nonsense. Who is even proud of their division doing well anyways, dont you have a rivalry with your divisional partners? I'm happy that the kings are bad and I wouldnt mind seeing the sharks choke again.
I dont think the Pacific is the best, but I dont think it's the worst, I also dont think it matters for shit. Just something to parrot when your team goes out in round 1. "Oh but my divisional games are hard, that's why we cant win a round"
