In a season that almost didn't happen, it's hard to believe we have a full week in the books. And wow, what a week it was. 72 games of highlight-reel moments and non-stop excitement. With only a few games under each team's belts, and the uncertainty with which many teams performances have been fluctuating, ranking all 30 teams from best to worst is a difficult task. I like difficult tasks.
1. Chicago Blackhawks . . . 6-0-0
In a tightly contested top three, the Blackhawks reign superior. They've played a grueling six games in a span of nine days, and won them all, beating a few division rivals along the way. Chicago's top forwards are off to an impressive start, but they wouldn't be here without their depth, defensive contributions and solid goaltending from Cory Crawford.
2. San Jose Sharks . . . 5-0-0
Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton.
3. St. Louis Blues . . . 5-1-0
The Blues have come out of the gate strong, with every part of their team performing well. Rookie Vladimir Tarasenko hasn't wasted any time putting together his highlight reel. The reason this team is playing so well is their young energy, and unbelievable scoring balance, reminiscent of last year's Boston Bruins. The goalie tandem has been holding down the fort, but it's Jaroslav Halak that's been stealing the show early, sporting a 1.69 GAA.
4. Tampa Bay Lightning . . . 4-1-0
Marty St. Louis and Steven Stamkos are back to their usual antics, and things are clicking so far for a Tampa team that's averaging nearly 5 goals per game. Look for Garon to challenge Lindback for the starting position in net.
5. Boston Bruins . . . 3-0-1
Boston's been a tough team to play against, and they've given the Rangers some headaches in this early stretch of the season. Tuukka Rask looks promising in net and the offensive balance on this team is still mind-boggling. No player has more than 3 points for this team, and they've yet to lose a game in regulation. Impressive.
6. New Jersey Devils . . . 3-0-1
Last season's Stanley Cup finalists entered this season with a lot of doubts, especially with the loss of Zach Parise. This team refuses to fold over and quit though. A week into the season, they find themselves in comfortable position through good team efforts and consistent goaltending from the ageless Martin Brodeur.
7. Winnipeg Jets . . . 3-1-1
After dropping the first game of the season, the Jets gave Boston a run for their money, and have since been one of the best teams in the league. Two defensemen, Enstrom and Byfuglien, lead the team in points, but the top forwards aren't far behind. Goalie Ondrej Pavelec is off to a sharp start with a .932 save percentage.
8. Montreal Canadiens . . . 3-1-0
Montreal's teamwork and conscious defensive play have paid dividends early. They've picked up three impressive wins after losing a close one to Toronto on opening night. Carey Price and the boys are on a mission to prove last season was just a fluke, and they're getting off on the right foot.
9. Ottawa Senators . . . 3-1-1
This team got off to a snappy start, and Craig Anderson has been nothing short of brilliant between the pipes. However, two of their three wins came against the Panthers, they've dropped their last two decisions and they've yet to play a division rival. It's hard to tell if this team is the real deal yet.
10. Pittsburgh Penguins . . . 3-2-0
Although this team isn't turning any heads offensively, a couple division victories and getting on the winning side early puts this high-powered team in the top ten at the end of week 1.
11. Dallas Stars . . . 2-2-1
This team's played better than their record indicates. After picking up a couple wins, they've lost two very close games to two of the top three ranked teams. The goaltending's been solid, but the offensive production's been a bit slow. Now that Jamie Benn is back in the line-up, expect the offensive output to pick up.
12. Anaheim Ducks . . . 3-1-0
This group has three wins in four games, but they still have problems. Daniel Winnik's 5 goals have come in handy as the rest of the Duck's high-powered offense has been average. The goaltending doesn't look to be at a level that can sustain a playoff-worthy record for the duration of the season.
13. New York Islanders . . . 2-2-1
The Islanders have put up some good fights in their first week of games, and have been able to squeeze some points out of them. Their offense has been impressive, and this is one of the deepest Islander teams we've seen in a while. The goaltending needs to improve though. (Yeah, shocker right?)
14. Carolina Hurricanes . . . 2-2-0
After a shaky start, these guys seem to have found their game with two good wins over the Buffalo Sabres. A flurry of upcoming games in the Northeast should show more of what this team is made of.
15. Colorado Avalanche . . . 2-2-0
Although they were blanked in their last game against San Jose, a 4-0 win against the new-look Blue Jackets and a 3-1 win over the Stanley Cup champs lead me to believe this team may have the makings to make a strong push for the playoffs.
16. Minnesota Wild . . . 2-2-1
This team's big three forwards are off to a quick start, however top defenseman Ryan Suter is a -5 on the year so far, and the goaltending has been average at best. In their last 3 games, Minnesota's only picked up 1 point.
17. New York Rangers . . . 2-3-0
The Rangers have played a few dismal games in this young season and are surprisingly low after one week. However, the top line is connecting and the team's won two of their last three.
18. Edmonton Oilers . . . 2-2-0
These guys have picked up a couple of huge wins against Los Angeles and Vancouver thusfar, but haven't been able to string a couple wins together. The young guns are off to a good start for Edmonton, but the whole team is going to have to step up their game a bit if they want to contend for a playoff spot.
19. Vancouver Canucks . . . 2-2-1
Only two wins in five games for one of last season's top teams. They've lost by some pretty big margins already this season, and with injuries and goaltending questions, the Canucks don't look to be in great shape to repeat as President's Trophy winners.
20. Detroit Red Wings . . . 2-2-1
Detroit opened the season by losing to the Blues 6-0 and just narrowly beating Columbus. Since then, they've won 1 game out of their last 3, and don't appear to be the same team without Lidstrom on the back end.
21. Nashville Predators . . . 1-1-3
Sure, they've only picked up 1 win in 5 games, but they've also managed 5 points. These guys haven't been getting blown out, they just seem to like shootouts. Unfortunately they aren't very good at them. What they are good at is defense, so if they can add just a bit more scoring, they'll start to win some more 60 minute games.
22. Buffalo Sabres . . . 2-3-0
They won their first two but have since lost three straight. On the bright side though, their top forwards are off to quick starts, and Ryan Miller's been playing excellent between the pipes.
23. Los Angeles Kings . . . 1-2-1
Goal scoring was a major problem for the Kings last season, and it continues to be this year. Goalie Jonathan Quick hasn't bee up to par with his Vezina-candidate performance last season either. However, the team has 3 points in their last 4 games.
24. Toronto Maple Leafs . . . 2-3-0
Phil Kessel's gotten off to an unusually slow start, and it's hurt his struggling team lately. After an impressive win against the Penguins, Toronto was lit up for 7 goals against the Islanders and 5 in a match-up with the Rangers.
25. Philadelphia Flyers . . . 2-4-0
Philly's been a busy team with six games played already. Despite a huge 7-1 win over Florida, they've only got two wins on the season. Surprisingly, the problem has been the offense, and not Ilya Bryzgalov, who's been solid in net.
26. Calgary Flames . . . 1-2-1
The Flames only have one win in their first four games, despite having a good amount of scoring. They struggled keeping the puck out of their net early, but have played better against division rivals in their last two games.
27. Washington Capitals . . . 1-3-1
A lot of things have been going wrong in Washington, not the least of which being playoff hero Braden Holtby's 5.04 GAA to start the season. Ovechkin's 2 points thusfar are not even close to good enough. Joel Ward has stepped up and been arguably the best player on a team that started 0-3, but has 3 points in their last 4 games.
28. Columbus Blue Jackets . . . 1-3-1
There hasn't been nearly enough scoring going on in Columbus, and Steve Mason continues to disappoint in net. After winning their first game, the Jackets have only managed 1 point in their last 4 games.
29. Phoenix Coyotes . . . 1-4-0
So far, this has been one of the strongest teams offensively. Unfortunately, they've been the worst at the other end of the ice, and the awful goaltending numbers show it. This team's only win so far came against the Blue Jackets.
30. Florida Panthers . . . 1-4-0
After a convincing win on opening night, everything that can go wrong seemingly has. The Panthers are 0-4 since then, and have been outscored 18-3 during that stretch.
So that's it for week one. Disagree with my list? Think your team is ranked too low? Leave a comment and let me know why. Be sure to check back in next week to see the updated rankings.
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