Oilers’ McDavid calls Pacific Division race ‘a pillow fight’

You know it’s bad when one of the best players in the world is calling out an entire division.

On Saturday night, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid was asked about his thoughts on the team not losing ground in the race for first place in the Pacific Division, despite the team losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-2.

“We’re fortunate to play in this division,” McDavid told the media after the defeat. “A lot of teams are fortunate to play in this division. It’s a bit of a pillow fight right now.”

Over the past couple of days, many around the game have realized not only that the Pacific is the worst division in the NHL, but just how bad it is. Currently, the Anaheim Ducks lead the division with just 80 points, with the Oilers sitting three points back in second. Not only is that the fewest points among any first-place team in the NHL, but the number of organizations ahead of the Ducks.

Anaheim is ranked 14th in the league, 20 points back of the Central Division-leading Colorado Avalanche, who are busy duking it out with the Dallas Stars for the best record in the league. Also, there are a whopping 10 teams from the Eastern Conference ahead of the entire Pacific, including the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders, both of which sit outside the Wild Card picture in the East.

One could also poke fun at the Western Conference as a whole. Some believe that Eastern teams will need around 95 points to simply qualify for the playoffs, while the last Wild Card team in the West might finish with fewer than 90.

As it pertains to the Oilers, McDavid understands that his team needs to stay focused on the task at hand, especially with several important games on the horizon.

“Thankful not to have lost any ground, McDavid said. “We got to find a way to win some games here on the road. … We got to make some ground, too.”

Edmonton hits the road next week, taking on the Utah Mammoth and Vegas Golden Knights, before returning home next Saturday to host the Ducks.