The Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and Arizona Coyotes battled for the division lead and playoff spots up until the NHL season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
The Oilers (37-25-9) are second in the division, three points behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights. The Flames (36-27-7) are third, four points behind the Oilers. The Canucks (36-27-6) are fourth, one point behind the Flames and tied with the Nashville Predators for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. The Coyotes (33-29-8) are fifth in the division, four points behind the Canucks.
The Oilers, Canucks and Coyotes have been in first place this season.
“In all honesty, it’s been great,” Giordano, the Flames defenseman, said Friday. “I think our teams are super competitive now. The Battle of Alberta’s back (against the Oilers) but I also think we’re huge rivals with Arizona and Vancouver. So we’re all right there bunched in and battling, so it’s been a fun year. We definitely have had some heated battles. … Hopefully we get going again and bring it right back.”
Each of the captains on a video call arranged by the NHL was asked what he doesn’t miss about playing against the other three while the season is paused.
“Probably losing every face-off against Bo,” said McDavid, the Oilers center who has 97 points (34 goals, 63 assists) in 64 games this season and is second in the NHL scoring race to teammate Leon Draisaitl, who has 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in 71 games. “I’m not very good at face-offs but we go to Vancouver and [when you] play every shift against Bo, you don’t win many draws.
“Have had lots of good battles against all three of them. [Ekman-Larsson] has probably got the best stick in the League. It’s not as long as [Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno] Chara’s. [Giordano] is obviously a great overall player, so three good players in the Pacific Division.”
Horvat, who has 53 points (22 goals, 31 assists) in 69 games this season, said McDavid was downplaying his own face-off abilities.
“He actually roasted me this year,” said Horvat, a center. “Trying to catch him is the biggest thing, so if you can start with the puck, it’s obviously an advantage to me.
“And the other two guys, every single time in the corner or coming down on them, you know you’re probably not going to get around them or get the puck in the corner. That’s the one thing I don’t miss about playing against those guys for sure.”
Video: Pacific Division stars discuss NHL Pause
Ekman-Larsson, who has 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 66 games this season, laughed when he said he doesn’t miss McDavid making him look bad with his speed and noted his frequent on-ice battles with Giordano.
“It’s been fun at the same time,” the Coyotes defenseman said. “I respect [Giordano] a lot, but that’s how it is on the ice. Obviously a really good defenseman and a player I look up to. I don’t miss the battles right now. It’s kind of nice to relax in the sun a little bit.
“And Bo, I feel like we never have the puck when he’s on the ice, so I don’t miss that either.”
Giordano said Ekman-Larsson “crushed me a couple of times” and that the Coyotes have become difficult to play against with their defensive resolve and young, skilled players like forwards Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz.
And then he poked some fun at McDavid and Horvat.
“The other two forwards, I don’t know why everyone thinks they’re so quick,” said Giordano, who has 30 points (five goals, 26 assists) in 60 games. “I think they’re actually kind of slow, especially Connor, so it’s kind of tough to adjust my gaps based on [how] I’ve got to slow it down a bit.”
But the individual rivalries take a back seat to the battle for position within the division, Giordano said. It’s why the rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton has heated up.
“What’s happened is both teams, we’re both in those playoff spots, and for a lot of my career it wasn’t like that,” said Giordano, who has played all 14 of his NHL seasons with the Flames. “This is so much better. It’s so much better for the game, and it’s a lot more fun to play in those games. We’ve had some good ones this year, and hopefully we’ll keep that going.”
Calgary won its first three games against Edmonton this season, then lost the fourth 8-3 at home Feb. 1. That game included 102 minutes in penalties and a fight between goalies Mike Smith of the Oilers and Cam Talbot of the Flames.
The teams were scheduled to play a fifth time April 4 at Calgary in the regular-season finale for each.
“We’ve had lots of games (in past seasons) where they’ve been pretty meaningless, and this year obviously the games [are] so tight and these four teams being so tight,” McDavid said. “In Calgary and Edmonton especially, the fans always get into it, they’re always lots of fun, and this year they’ve been pretty wild. So we’ll get back playing here and maybe we’ll even see them in the playoffs. That would be pretty fun.”
