Morning Coffee: The biggest reason the Pacific Division is going down to the wire

The Vancouver Canucks are coming off back-to-back wins for the first time since December.

Vancouver is still 14 points back of the Chicago Blackhawks for the worst record in the NHL, yet they’ve somehow managed to become a thorn in my side in recent weeks.

On April 1^st, the Canucks flew into Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche as the biggest underdog in the NHL this entire season.

Somehow, they exploded for eight goals in an upset win over the Presidents’ Trophy champions and torched my team’s goals against average and save percentage thanks to the seven goals they scored on MacKenzie Blackwood.

Nightmare fuel.

Two weeks later, the Canucks secured back-to-back wins over the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks – two teams desperate for points in the Western Conference race.

In addition to separate bets on the Sharks and Ducks, I also have a bigger position on Anaheim to win the Pacific Division than then Vegas Golden Knights.

Vancouver’s latest win left the Ducks tied with the Edmonton Oilers for second place - one point back of the Golden Knights for first place in the division.

All three teams have two regular season games left.

Those games will determine the Pacific Division winner, and home-ice advantage for the first-round series between the teams that finish second and third.

Interestingly, there wouldn’t be a Pacific Division race if it wasn’t for the ridiculously lopsided splits the Knights and Ducks have produced in the shootout this season.

Let’s dive into those numbers and the updated Pacific Division odds in this Morning Coffee column for Monday April 13^th, 2026.

The biggest reason the Pacific Division is going down to the wire

Back on March 2^nd, I recommended a wager on the Ducks to win the Pacific Division at +300 at FanDuel.

At the time, Anaheim had won five in a row to climb within one point of Vegas for first place in the division with one game in hand.

The Ducks were the only team in the division with more wins than losses, and with the second-easiest remaining strength of schedule on deck, they seemed like a good bet at 3-to-1 odds.

Fast-forward to March 27^th, and Anaheim was sitting alone atop the division following wins over the Canucks and Calgary Flames.

The Ducks to win the Pacific had completely flipped from +300 to -650 at FanDuel after a 13-4-1 run that left them five points clear of the Oilers and six points clear of the Golden Knights in the standings.

At the time, I recommended locking in a profit with Edmonton at +1000 and Vegas at +1300, rather than leaving it up to Anaheim to finish off the job.

It’s a good thing I did, because the Ducks have hit a wall.

On March 28^th, the Oilers beat Anaheim 4-2.

Two nights later, Cutter Gauthier was sidelined in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Gauthier returned with two goals last night to hit the 40-goal mark as a 22-year-old, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.

As I had highlighted, the Ducks had one of the easiest schedules in the entire NHL down the stretch.

Unfortunately, it didn’t matter as the losses piled up against the Flames, Nashville Predators, and then again last night against the Canucks in overtime.

The Ducks might have had an edge over Vancouver if that game had gone the distance to a shootout.

However, Marco Rossi ended it with a powerplay goal with 10 seconds left in the extra frame to clinch that much-needed extra point.

Speaking of the shootout, Anaheim’s success is the biggest reason why they are still in contention for a division title this morning.

The Ducks have gone 8-0 in the shootout this season.

The Golden Knights have gone 1-8.

If both teams were within one game of .500 in the shootout, then Vegas would have already clinched first place in the Pacific.

Instead, the Golden Knights, Oilers, and Ducks are all still alive with two games remaining.

Vegas, which could be found as high as 40-to-1 to win the division on March 30th, controls its own path at -220 to win the Pacific.

If the Golden Knights beat the Winnipeg Jets tonight and then beat the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday, they’ll clinch first place, regardless of what happens in Edmonton and Anaheim.

If Vegas stumbles down the stretch, it will open the door for the Oilers and Ducks to make their move.

Edmonton will close out its regular season on home ice against the Avalanche and Canucks.

I’m not expecting Vancouver to do me any favours.

Meanwhile, Anaheim will travel for games against the Minnesota Wild and Nashville.

Even if the Golden Knights clinch the division title, the Oilers and Ducks still have something to play for with home-ice advantage for a potential first-round playoff series on the line.

First up, anybody with a bet on Edmonton or Anaheim to win the Pacific Division will cheer for the Winnipeg Jets to pull off the upset tonight in Vegas.

If you tailed my bet on the Ducks to win the Pacific and didn’t hedge, you might consider a bet on Vegas tonight.

The Jets haven’t been officially eliminated from playoff contention, but they’re five points back of the Los Angeles Kings for the final Wild Card spot.

I’ll roll the dice with a Same Game Parlay that features Vegas to win outright and Jack Eichel to register 2+ shots on goal at -127.

I can’t lay -188 on the Golden Knights moneyline, and considering Winnipeg’s season is officially on the line, I’m not as interested in the puck line or Vegas to win in regulation at -115.

Instead, I’ll pay the extra 10 cents for a star centre that has registered seven shots on goal in two meetings versus the Jets this season.

Eichel has registered at least two shots on goal in 20 straight games dating back to March 1^st.

Hopefully, he can get me two or more tonight in a Golden Knights win.

Have a great day, everyone!