LA Kings: West Division power rankings after Week Three

Where do the LA Kings fall in the West Division power rankings this week?

One of the many unique aspects of this NHL season is the way COVID-19 is going to wreak havoc on the schedule and force games to be postponed. This past week, it was the West Division’s turn to deal with it.

A game between the Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues last Thursday was forced to be postponed, and games this week between Vegas and the San Jose Sharks that were supposed to be played on Monday and Wednesday will also be postponed.

But while COVID-19 may have put the Golden Knights’ season on pause, it was a busy week for other teams in the West. Let’s take a look at how everyone stacks up heading into Week Four.

1. Colorado Avalanche (6-3-1)

An overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night snapped a three-game winning streak in which Colorado outscored its opponents 15-4. The Avs now own the best goal differential in the league at +13. They look like they’re starting to round into form, which is bad news for the rest of the division.

Next four games: Minnesota (2), @ St. Louis (2)

2. Vegas Golden Knights (5-1-1)

Vegas only played one game last week due to the aforementioned COVID-19 postponements. It was a 5-4 shootout loss to St. Louis last Tuesday, though the Golden Knights outshot the Blues 46-25. Max Pacioretty scored a hat trick to help Vegas salvage a point. After hearing his name in trade rumors over the offseason, Pacioretty has responded with six goals in seven games to start this season.

Next four games: Los Angeles (2), Anaheim (2)

3. St. Louis Blues (6-2-1)

It was a perfect week for St. Louis. After squeaking out that shootout win in Vegas, the Blues went into Anaheim and dominated a pair of games against the Ducks. Jordan Kyrou’s hot start is continuing, as he now has five goals and 10 points through nine games, tying Brayden Schenn for the team lead in scoring.

Next four games: Arizona (2), (Colorado (2)

4. Minnesota Wild (6-4-0)

The Wild split a pair of games with the Kings last week and then did the same with the Avalanche over the weekend, with Jonas Brodin, the overtime hero on Sunday night. Jordan Greenway and Joel Eriksson Ek look like they may be having breakout years for Minnesota. Greenway leads the team with 10 points in 10 games, and Eriksson Ek is right behind him with nine points, including a team-high five goals.

Next four games: @ Colorado (2), Arizona (2)

5. LA Kings (3-3-2)

A brilliant start from Cal Petersen helped the LA Kings win their first game in Minnesota last week, but the second game was rough. Not only did they lose the game 5-3, but their blue line also took a serious hit as Sean Walker and Matt Roy were lost to injuries, and it sounds like they could be sidelined for a while.

Next four games: Anaheim, @ Vegas (2), San Jose

6. Arizona Coyotes (3-4-1)

The Coyotes split a pair of home games with the Ducks last week. After getting shut out by John Gibson on Tuesday, Christian Dvorak scored a pair of goals to lead them to a 3-2 win on Thursday. That was a big win for Arizona because the schedule’s about to get tougher.

Next four games: @ St. Louis (2), @ Minnesota (2)

7. San Jose Sharks (3-5-0)

The Sharks went to Colorado and got their butts kicked twice by the Avalanche last week. If there was any good news, it was that the two games they were going to play against the Golden Knights in Arizona this week were getting postponed, and when they make them up, they should be able to play them in San Jose.

Next four games: @ Anaheim (2), @ Los Angeles (2)

8. Anaheim Ducks (3-5-2)

The Ducks got crushed by the Blues twice over the weekend and scored just five goals in four games last week, though John Gibson did manage to steal a 1-0 victory against the Coyotes. With just 16 goals for in 10 games, it’s starting to look like they’re not going to win many games this year that Gibson doesn’t steal for them.

Next four games: @ Los Angeles, San Jose (2), @ Vegas