Sharks' division looks wide open as Pacific teams stumble

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SAN JOSE – The Pacific Division team many expected would be a Stanley Cup contender is currently in the midst one of the worst scoring droughts to open a season in NHL history. The Anaheim Ducks (1-5-2) have just six goals, and have been shut out five times in eight games.

The Pacific Division team that many expected would be the worst in the NHL is currently in first place with a 5-3-1 mark. The Arizona Coyotes are being led by young up-and-comers like Max Domi and Anthony Duclair, while Mike Smith is off to a solid start between the pipes.

San Jose, Los Angeles and Vancouver have had some good and not so good moments, and it’s difficult to tell what any of them are just yet. Edmonton looks improved but is still in a rebuild, while Calgary, which had a surprisingly strong season last year in qualifying for the playoffs, has the Western Conference’s worst record (2-7-0) and goal differential (-19).

[KURZ: Sharks struggling with forward depth since injuries]

Safe to say the division - unquestionably the worst of the four so far - is wide open this year?

“Yes, it seems wide open,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said on Tuesday.

Still…

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“I’m not looking at it very much. We’re concentrating on our group and taking care of our business. I don’t have any doubt that some of the teams are going to fix it. Our goal is to put as much distance between us and other teams here while we can. That’s our day-to-day-goal here.”

“You just don’t realize how important the early parts of seasons are. You’ve got to get off to good starts,” said Joe Pavelski, whose Sharks have started out 3-0-0 in each of the last four seasons, including four straight wins to start the current campaign. “You’ve got to expect some of these teams will break through for stretches. … That’s the nature of the game, someone’s going to lose on a nightly basis, and you just can’t have tough losing streaks.”

While none of the Pacific Division teams looks overly imposing at the moment, the Sharks won’t get to take advantage of some of their rivals that may not have their games in order. The Sharks have just one more game against a Pacific Division opponent between now and December, when they host Anaheim on Nov. 7.

[KURZ: DeBoer taking advantage of break in Sharks schedule]

The Ducks are the talk of the NHL, and that’s unfortunate if you’re in Anaheim. No team has been as futile offensively since the 1930-31 New York Americans, who also had just six goals through eight games.

They were shut out by the Sharks on Oct. 10, 2-0, in San Jose’s home opener. Currently on a difficult road trip through the Central Division, they failed to score a goal in back-to-back games on Saturday in Minnesota (3-0) and Monday in Chicago (1-0 OTL).

“They know where they’re at right now,” Pavelski said. “They gave Chicago a great game [last] night. They’re finding ways to lose right now.”

The Sharks will keep concentrating on their own game, but it’s only natural to keep an eye on the standings, too.

“’I’ve noticed a little bit,” Paul Martin said. “I don’t pay too much attention to it or look at that as far as right now, but I’ve seen a couple teams getting some losses.

“It’s good to see, but you can’t rely on other teams. It’s up to us to make sure that we take care of business in here before we worry about that kind of stuff.”

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