Connor McDavid is glad the Edmonton Oilers are in the NHL's weakest division this season.
"Obviously, we're fortunate to play in (the Pacific Division)," McDavid said after Edmonton's 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. "A lot of teams are fortunate to play in this division. It's a bit of a pillow fight right now. Thankful to not have lost any ground.
"That being said, we gotta find a way to win some games here on the road. Two big ones against Utah and Vegas. We gotta make some ground too. Good challenge ahead."
The Pacific-leading Anaheim Ducks rank 14th in the NHL with 80 points, a mark that would put them outside of the playoffs entirely in the Eastern Conference. Ten teams in the East have more points than Anaheim.
Edmonton is second in the Pacific with 77 points. The Utah Mammoth, who currently hold the first wild-card spot as the fourth-placed team in the Central, have 78 points.
The Oilers are five points clear of dropping out of a playoff spot despite ranking 18th league-wide.
All six Pacific teams that played Saturday lost their respective games. That also occurred Thursday.
Edmonton is expected to be without star forward Leon Draisaitl for the rest of the regular season due to a lower-body injury.