Pacific Division Power Rankings: Playoff Edition

With the Stanley Cup playoffs in full swing, 16 teams are vying for supremacy and the most prestigious trophy in sports. This time around, 15 other teams look to knock the Vegas Golden Knights off their "golden" throne. It's good to be the king, huh?

But that might not be the case, with the Golden Knights laying waste to the top-seeded Dallas Stars. Up 2-0, the defending champions head back to T-Moblie Arena on Saturday with all the momentum... and a Death Star lineup. The 15 remaining teams might want to rethink their strategies for attacking the champions. It seems the machine is rolling at full capacity.

But what is the competition going to do? How can they reinvent their strategies so they can claim the throne? It's a complex question that teams like the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers are asking themselves, hoping to end Stanley Cup droughts. As for the other teams, well, some are hoping to win their first, while others want to extend their competitive windows longer.

While it would be nice to dive into all 15 teams, it would be too long and tedious for the reader to consider. After all, there are the Wednesday "Knight" Wisdom articles that try to accomplish this goal in bite-sized writing. So how can the teams be ranked for the playoffs?

That's the thing: Let's focus on the Pacific Division and the teams here. After all, there are only four Pacific Division teams that qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs this season. That includes the defending champions, the Vegas Golden Knights, who are looking to repeat with authority.

Let's look at the remaining four Pacific Division teams and where they currently stand. The regular season positions are thrown out the window, with those eliminated tossed out as well. Here's where the West Coast teams lie as the Stanley Cup playoffs turn.