San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings: Who Wins the Pacific?

As we pass the midway point of the 2011-2012 NHL season, it's time to do a little reality check on the Western Conference's Pacific Division standings. Here they are, as of 1/16/12:

1. San Jose - 55 pts.

2. LA Kings - 53 pts.

3. Dallas Stars - 49 pts.

4. Phoenix Coyotes - 49 pts.

5. Anaheim Ducks - 37 pts.

The Sharks and Kings are neck-and-neck at the top two spots, just as I (and approximately 181 of you) had predicted in my preseason rankings. The Stars and the Coyotes are tied for third, six points behind the Sharks, and the Ducks sit in last with a woeful 37 points. 

In the interest of time, let's temporarily ignore the Stars and the Coyotes and focus on the top two teams—the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings.

Which one will win the Pacific Division?

San Jose: Starting to Heat Up

The Sharks' loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday was just their second regulation loss in their last 16 games. Those who watch the Sharks on a regular basis know that when the Sharks heat up they are close to unbeatable. 

They were sporadic and inconsistent for much of the first half of the season, but they are turning it around big time to start the second half, with major contributions from Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski and especially goaltender Antti Niemi.

LA Kings: The Darryl Sutter Effect

For this portion, I would like to refer to an article by Ryan Lambert of Yahoo! News:

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A lot of people thought replacing the stern voice of Terry Murray behind the bench with the sterner (and mumblier) voice of Darryl Sutter was a foolish decision by Dean Lombardi, but instead it has transformed the Los Angeles Kings into a truly terrifying, borderline-great power in the Western Conference.

Now, 13 games, seven wins and 19 points later, the Kings are closing in on San Jose's lead in the Pacific.

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Sutter, who was the former coach of the San Jose Sharks, does have a reputation for being a stern, harsh, no-nonsense coach, and it seems like his characteristics bond with that of his team.

Sutter has also transformed the Kings into one of the stingiest defenses in the league.

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To that end, it's no surprise that Sutter's Kings have allowed three goals or more exactly twice in these 13 games, and only lost one of them. In fact, they've allowed 22 goals since the takeover, with four coming in a shootout loss to Dallas, so they still got a point out of that one too.

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But it hasn't just been the defense. Several of their key players have stepped it up after the coaching change. Guys such as Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Justin Williams, Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty have played at a higher level than they did under former head coach Terry Murray. 

Plus, it never hurts to have Vezina Trophy contender Jonathan Quick in between the pipes.

San Jose Has Games in Hand

The Sharks have played the second-fewest games of anyone in the NHL, with just 42 games under their belt. The Kings have played 42 games. That's four games—or eight possible points—that the Sharks have in hand.

So, Who Wins the Pacific?

Although it is intriguing that the Los Angeles Kings have managed a miraculous improvement under new head coach Darryl Sutter, the clear-cut favorite to win the Pacific still has to be the San Jose Sharks. When it is all said and done, there is not a more talented team in the NHL than the Sharks. Their current hot streak has propelled them into third in the Western Conference, and they still have five games in hand on the Chicago Blackhawks, who are currently in first. 

But, there is no doubt that the Kings will give the Sharks a run for their money. Something is definitely clicking under Darryl Sutter, and they will look to ride that momentum and challenge the Sharks for the Pacific Division title. 

I would like to conclude with a passage from the aforementioned article:

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It will obviously take more than the phenomenal run the team has been on since Sutter took over for the Kings to become one of the top teams in the West, and they've begun to get the look of a team that can do some serious damage.

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So what do you think? Who will win the Pacific Division? Please respond to the above poll and feel free to post any comments below.