EL SEGUNDO – Much has been made of the Pacific Division standings this season, and for good reason.
The stat that best illustrates why is the Sharks, currently in second place at 16-15-2 and 34 points, would be in seventh place in the Central, seventh in the Atlantic, and sixth in the Metropolitan.
The Los Angeles Kings (20-10-2, 42 points) are the one club that has emerged as perhaps the sole legitimate Stanley Cup contender from the Pacific, at least by the look of things so far. They own an eight-point lead on San Jose with one game in hand and a head-to-head meeting at Staples Center on the horizon Tuesday.