Positional breakdown: Which team will claim the Pacific?
With the 2017 playoffs two weeks away, the Pacific Division remains the closest race in the league, with the top four clubs - Anaheim, San Jose, Edmonton, and Calgary - separated by just a handful of points.
Which team claims the division title is anyone's guess, as all four clubs in the running have the potential to make waves down the final stretch.
That being the case, let's take a closer look at how these four rank at each position, and which team has the best shot at claiming the division:
In Net
1. Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton's Cam Talbot has been dominating in net all season long. He's posted seven shutouts on the season - tied for second-most in the league - while taking on a monster workload that has seen him earn 38 wins through 68 appearances. He may be the Oilers' MVP this season, and he's surely the Pacific's best goalie.
2. Anaheim Ducks
John Gibson is right behind. He hasn't had to endure the same workload, playing in just 49 games, but he boasts the best save percentage in the Pacific (.921), and has five shutouts as well. He's been sidelined since the end of February, but the Ducks have still surged, as Jonathan Bernier has dominated in Gibson's place.
3. Calgary Flames
Brian Elliott couldn't have had a worse start in Flames colors, but the veteran managed to right the ship at the perfect time. He's been on a tear since the beginning of February, ranking second in the division in save percentage (.932) and wins (10 in 16 games) as the Flames salvaged their season. There couldn't be a better time to heat up and live up to the hype.
4. San Jose Sharks
Fresh off a Stanley Cup Final appearance last season, Martin Jones has taken a slight step back this year. His save percentage is the worst of the four Pacific contenders' starters, and even Bernier, Peter Budaj, and Ryan Miller have bested him in that department. His numbers have dropped even lower as of late - he's sporting a .894 percentage through eight March appearances.
The Blue Line
1. San Jose Sharks
The Sharks boast the best blue-liner in the West right now - and perhaps the league - in Brent Burns. The bearded one has dominated offensively this year, racking up 28 goals and 73 points through 76 games. Defensively, the Sharks have allowed the fewest shots against per game of these four Pacific clubs, as well as the fewest goals against per game.
2. Calgary Flames
The Pacific's top offensive defender aside from Burns has been, surprisingly, Dougie Hamilton. He's got a career-high 48 points on the year, while he and Mark Giordano have emerged as one of the best pairings in the league. The rest of the group is holding their own as well, as the Flames are allowing the second-fewest shots per game among the Pacific contenders.
3. Anaheim Ducks
Cam Fowler is in the midst of one of the best offensive seasons of his career, notching a career-best 11 goals alongside his 37 points. He's also logging the second-most minutes per game among all Pacific blue-liners, just a hair above Burns. But overall, the Ducks are in the middle of the divisional pack when it comes to the number of shots they're letting through each game.
4. Edmonton Oilers
Andrej Sekera is having a far better second go-round in Edmonton, and the second-best season of his career. But the Oilers' blue-line issues are well-documented. While they've taken a step forward, they're still allowing the most shots per game among their fellow Pacific contenders, and leaning heavily on Talbot.
Up Front
1. Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers have the league's leading scorer in McDavid, but that's only part of the picture. Leon Draisaitl has emerged as an elite threat in his own right, topping the 70-point plateau and helping Edmonton's offense climb into the league's top 10. And between Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Milan Lucic, and the surprising Pat Maroon, the Oilers have some pretty dangerous depth options as well.
2. Calgary Flames
Calgary might not have a marquee, league-leading star like their provincial rivals do, but Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are both among the top seven scorers in the Pacific - and they're not even playing on the team's best line. That distinction goes to the "Triple M" trio of Mikael Backlund, Michael Frolik, and Matthew Tkachuk, who have combined for 139 points and have been one of the most dominant lines in the league all year long.
3. Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks' and Sharks' offenses are fairly even up to this point. The Sharks are slightly higher in goals per game and shots per game, but the discrepancy is very slight. Anaheim has a slight edge when it comes to depth, however, as their 2016-17 crew features seven forwards with double-digit goal totals, as opposed to the Sharks' three.
4. San Jose Sharks
That leaves San Jose last among these four clubs in the forwards department, which should indicate just how dangerous the Pacific is becoming, given the fact the Sharks boast some elite talents in Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, and Logan Couture. In terms of total offense, they likely have a slight edge over Anaheim due to Burns' dominance from the back end. But if we're talking forwards only, then Calgary, Edmonton, and Anaheim come out ahead.
Which team takes the division?
With all that in mind, it seems the Pacific belongs to the Oilers for the time being. Fresh off clinching their first playoff berth in a decade, Edmonton has officially made good on its rebuild, and looks set to be among the cream of the Pacific crop for a fair while.
The Oilers are far ahead of the rest in terms of offense, with both the best No.1 option and plenty of depth behind him, and they've also got the best goaltender in the division in Talbot - which makes their subpar defense less of an issue.
McDavid and Co. are going to be a handful over the final two weeks and in the playoffs, and if they can keep building up their blue line, this might just become an annual thing.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)