Ducks and Sharks fall on the road, Pacific Division roundup

It was a rough Monday night for California’s Pacific Division teams. Both the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks came up empty on the road, while Vegas and Edmonton continue to set the early pace in the standings.

Ducks outplayed at MSG

Anaheim fell 5-2 to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Sean Durzi opened the scoring just 78 seconds in and Oliver Bjorkstrand struck twice, with Gabe Perreault and J.T. Miller also scoring for New York, according to La Presse and Sportsnet. Dylan Garand stopped 29 shots as the Rangers improved to a perfect 6-0-0 at home to start the season.

After the game, Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville didn’t sugar-coat his assessment, saying his top guys “weren’t very good” against the Rangers, per Sportsnet. Anaheim sits fifth in the Pacific with 8 points in 8 games (4-4-0).

Sharks denied in Toronto

In Toronto, the Sharks watched the Maple Leafs snap a three-game losing streak with a 3-1 win. Auston Matthews put the Leafs on the board late in the second period on the power play, and No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna buried the game-winning goal on a third-period man advantage, as reported by Sportsnet and La Presse.

Sportsnet notes that William Nylander, previously deemed a game-time decision due to illness, did suit up for Toronto. The game also marked, according to Sportsnet, the first NHL meeting between McKenna and San Jose forward Ivar Stenberg, the No. 2 overall pick from the same draft. San Jose remains fourth in the Pacific with 9 points through 9 games (4-4-1) and now turns its attention to a visit to Montreal.

Canucks retool, Kings winless, Oilers watched

In Vancouver, Sportsnet describes a rebuilding Canucks team that has struggled to keep pace with opponents and is trying to halt a losing skid. Assistant coach Manny Malholtra said there is no concern that injured goalie Thatcher Demko will miss the entire season, and the Canucks provided an update on his status, per Sportsnet.

The Los Angeles Kings, meanwhile, are still searching for their first win of the season at 0-4-2, last in the Pacific with 2 points. The Hockey News highlights the “severely struggling” Kings in a fantasy context, mirroring their on-ice start. Just ahead of them, Calgary (2-6-0) and Vancouver (2-7-1) round out the bottom three.

At the top, the Vegas Golden Knights lead the division with 16 points in 10 games (8-2-0), with the Edmonton Oilers close behind at 13 points in only 8 games (6-1-1). The Hockey News ran an NHL injury roundup that included the latest on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and also published a feature outlining seven reasons why Connor McDavid is viewed as the world’s best hockey player.