NHL Power Rankings: B/R Experts' Week 2 Poll

The early part of the NHL season is always fascinating, as projections based on summer moves meet the reality of games being played. Will strong teams be able to maintain their positions relative to the rest of the league? Will weaker clubs be able to climb the NHL standings? 

We've seen a little bit of everything in the early going, including struggles for some of last season's leading lights and some big bumps for a few teams that underachieved in 2013-14. Naturally, it's early enough that these shifts may be temporary, erased within a month or two, but the fact of the matter is that points collected at this stage of the season count every bit as much as ones picked up during the intensity of the stretch drive. 

To break down what's happened early and what will happen later, we welcome back our panel of experts: Dave Lozo, Steve Macfarlane, Allan Mitchell, Lyle Richardson, Carol Schram and myself. All of the rankings here are based both on what's happened so far and what we expect to happen in the future and will not mirror the NHL standings (which currently feature the Montreal Canadiens at the top) exactly. 

Read on to see where every NHL team ranks this week. 

Unless otherwise noted, news and statistics are courtesy of NHL.com and are current through the start of action on October 20.

30-26: Buffalo Sabres-Winnipeg Jets

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30. Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo is 1-5-0 and, incredibly, might be worse than its record to date. Through six games, the team has averaged an NHL-low 23.5 shots per game while allowing an NHL-high 37.8 shots.

29. Edmonton Oilers. The team's underlying numbers are improving, so there's that, but with an 0-4-1 record, the team is off to yet another disastrous start. Things are getting ugly in Edmonton.

28. Carolina Hurricanes. The 'Canes had a shot to wind up near the bottom of the league even with everyone healthy, so injuries that have sidelined Eric Staal, Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner have not helped at all. An 0-2-2 start is unsurprising in the extreme. 

27. Florida Panthers. The Panthers have dropped four of their first five, and the team's lone win was a 1-0 victory over the laughable Buffalo Sabres. So far, a summer of activity from general manager Dale Tallon doesn't seem to be doing much good.  

26. Winnipeg Jets. The Jets started the year well, posting a 6-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes in which they embarrassed starter Mike Smith. Unfortunately for the team, that victory has since been followed by four straight losses, including most recently a 4-1 defeat Sunday at the hands of Calgary. 

25-21: Colorado Avalanche-Arizona Coyotes

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25. Colorado Avalanche. The Avs shocked the NHL world by going from the league basement in 2012-13 to the penthouse in 2013-14. Unfortunately, in the early going this season, the team appears to have regressed significantly. After dropping consecutive games to Minnesota at the start of the year, the Avs went 1-for-4 on a recent Eastern Conference road swing. 

24. Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers dropped their first four games of the season (with three of them at home), though it's worth noting that two of those losses came in the shootout. On Saturday, the team recorded its first win in a wild 6-5 overtime victory over the Stars in Dallas. 

22. Toronto Maple Leafs. There have been some encouraging signs from the Leafs, but the team has dropped four of its first six games, including consecutive losses to division rival Detroit over the weekend. 

23. Calgary Flames. The surprising Flames are now 4-3 on the year, despite a six-game road trip. There have been some fortunate occurrences along the way—most notably a 49-save performance from Jonas Hiller in a 2-1 win over Chicago on Wednesday—but the club must be happy with its record so far.  

21. Arizona Coyotes. The desert dogs are 2-2 despite the best efforts of starting goaltender Mike Smith. One of the victories came with backup Devan Dubnyk in net, while the other one saw the Coyotes put seven goals past the hapless Oilers, which was enough to compensate for the four that Smith allowed. 

20-16: New York Rangers-Ottawa Senators

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20. New York Rangers. It's been a weird season so far on Broadway. The Rangers beat the Blues in St. Louis to start the season before dropping three straight to beatable Eastern opponents (and allowing 17 goals in the process). Back-to-back wins to finish off a four-game homestand, including one over red-hot San Jose, has the club at a respectable 3-3. 

19. Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets started the year with a somewhat favourable schedule, which included games against Buffalo and the Flames. So while the team's 3-2 record isn't bad, it also isn't worth getting excited about just yet. 

18. New Jersey Devils. After beginning the season with three consecutive road victories, the Devils have now dropped consecutive games, falling 6-2 to Washington and 4-2 at the hands (mouths?) of the Sharks. 

17. Vancouver Canucks. British Columbia's team started the year with just three games in nine days, with all of them coming against the weak Alberta teams. Unsurprisingly, the Canucks started 3-0. Saturday was the game's first serious test, a game against Tampa Bay after playing the night before, and the result was a 4-2 loss. 

16. Ottawa Senators. The ranking here reveals some skepticism of the Sens roster on the part of our panel, but even the most dubious commentator would be forced to admit that the team is off to a red-hot start. After a one-goal loss at the hands of the resurgent Predators to start the season, Ottawa has cranked off four straight wins. 

15-11: Minnesota Wild-Washington Capitals

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15. Minnesota Wild. Minny is just .500 on the season, with two wins and two losses, but there are some extenuating circumstances. Not only have all four games been against Western Conference playoff teams from last year (Colorado, Anaheim and Los Angeles, with three of the four contests on the road), but the two defeats have both been by a single goal, and the latest came Sunday in a game against the Kings in which the Wild held a 41-16 edge in shots. 

14. Detroit Red Wings. Detroit has played five games but has only faced three teams. The club now has a respectable 1-0-1 record against Boston and is a perfect 2-0-0 against the Maple Leafs. The Red Wings' lone regulation loss was a 3-2 setback versus the Anaheim Ducks. 

13. Boston Bruins. Boston has played an NHL-high seven games and in that span has only one convincing victory. There are four losses, two one-goal wins (one of those in the shootout) and a 4-0 thrashing of the miserable Buffalo Sabres. 

12. Nashville Predators. The Preds have points in all five of their games, picking up three wins and falling after the end of regulation to the Calgary Flames (shootout) and Chicago Blackhawks (overtime) in two other contests. 

11. Washington Capitals. What is it about the Caps and the shootout? Washington was the only team to finish in double digits in wins and losses in the skill competition last season, and through five games, the Capitals already have seen three go past the end of overtime. The upside is that Washington now has three wins and has picked up points in both of its losses. 

10. Dallas Stars

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Last Week: 11

Recent Trend: In one sense, the Stars are off to a decent start, with points in four of their five games. In another sense, an overtime loss and a shootout loss mean the team has won just two of its first five, though of course some consideration should be made for their tough schedule. 

Big Picture: Dallas was already a relatively solid team when general manager Jim Nill added Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky to it over the summer. The belief that a good team got better is clearly one of the key reasons why the panel has voted the Stars into the top 10 despite a middling start to the year. 

By the Numbers: Brenden Dillon, whom the Stars low-balled in offseason contract negotiations, is playing a critical role on the club's defence. Through five games, he leads the team in even-strength ice time, averaging more than 20 minutes per night; overall, he's playing just shy of 24 minutes per game despite having no role on the power play.   

9. New York Islanders

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Last Week: 17

Recent Trend: The Islanders started the season wonderfully, winning their first four contests before dropping their first game on Saturday night against Pittsburgh. Back-to-back games against injury-riddled Carolina to start the 2014-15 campaign probably didn't hurt.

Big Picture: New York was one of the league's worst teams last year, but a concerted effort was made in the offseason to turn the club around. Free agents were wooed, trades were made and the end result was (on paper at least) massive upgrades at all positions. The early returns on all those moves have been good. 

By the Numbers: Brock Nelson looks to be on pace for a breakout campaign, with eight points in just five games. That number should be taken with some salt, though; he's only managed five shots, and four of them have been goals. Nobody manages to sustain 80.0 percent shooting efficiency. 

8. St. Louis Blues

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Last Week: 4

Recent Trend: Sunday was the Blues' weakest game, a 3-0 loss to the Ducks coming on the heels of Saturday's 6-1 win over Arizona. Through five games, they have two wins, two one-goal losses (one of those in the shootout) and the game against Anaheim. 

Big Picture: The Blues are one of those teams on the cusp of greatness. Last year, Ryan Miller was supposed to be the piece that put a 111-point team over the top, but it didn't work out in the playoffs. There's no question they should be at least a regular-season powerhouse, however. 

By the Numbers: Brian Elliott has been given every opportunity to prove he can be a starter, and he's looked good so far, with a .924 save percentage through four games. Backup Jake Allen was fantastic in his lone start, however, turning aside 24 of 25 shots against. 

7. Tampa Bay Lightning

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Last Week: 5

Recent Trend: Tampa Bay has won three of its first five games and has a pair of one-goal losses (one of them in the shootout) in the other two. The most impressive of the wins was a 7-1 spanking of the Montreal Canadiens in which the Lightning outshot the Habs by a ridiculous 41-17 margin. 

Big Picture: The Lightning were an awfully good regular-season team last season, and with an upgraded defence corps and improving young forwards, the consensus wisdom was that the team would take a step forward. Thus far, the results support that view. 

By the Numbers: Steven Stamkos is only tied for the team's scoring lead in the early going. Victor Hedman has averaged a point-per-game pace on the power play alone and has added two points at evens. This could be a breakthrough offensive campaign for the exceptional young defenceman. 

6. Montreal Canadiens

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Last Week: 8

Recent Trend: On the positive side, the Canadiens currently lead the NHL with 10 points. On the negative side, two of those wins were shootout victories, and they are the only club in the top half of the league with a goal differential of even or worse, which came courtesy of a 7-1 embarrassment inflicted by the Lightning. 

Big Picture: Montreal finished with 100 points last season, and at present, there isn't much reason to expect massive change from that total. 

By the Numbers: P.K. Subban may own the $9.0 million annual contract, but he isn't the most-used player on the team. That honour falls to Andrei Markov, who is averaging 25:18 per game thanks to significant minutes on the penalty kill, which Subban just doesn't play. 

5. Pittsburgh Penguins

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Last Week: 7

Recent Trend: The Pens have won three of their first four games in 2014-15 and were three seconds away from overtime in that lone loss, which came against the Dallas Stars. 

Big Picture: There is some uncertainty in Pittsburgh after a pile of offseason changes, but it would be a significant surprise if the team wasn't again one of the best in the NHL—at least during the regular season.  

By the Numbers: New addition Patric Hornqvist is working out splendidly early. He has eight points through four games (including four goals) and is averaging seven shots per game (28 total). 

4. Anaheim Ducks

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Last Week: 6

Recent Trend: Anaheim lost on opening night, allowing six goals as John Gibson posted a .846 save percentage. Gibson was promptly relegated to the bench (and then to the minors), and the Ducks have won five straight.  

Big Picture: There are some red flags in Anaheim's underlying numbers, but even so, this is a team with legitimate star power on paper and a club coming off a 116-point, plus-57 campaign in 2013-14. The Ducks certainly expect to contend this season.

By the Numbers: It's hard to blame the Ducks for turning away from Gibson. Frederik Andersen has a .950 save percentage and has started five games, winning all five. Not many teams lose when there starter is turning aside 19 shots out of 20. 

3. San Jose Sharks

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Last Week: 9

Recent Trend: The Sharks fired off three consecutive wins to start the season and recorded points in all of their first five games before falling to the Rangers in the second half of a back-to-back on Sunday. 

Big Picture: Despite an offseason that featured a lot of talk about change, not much was done. The long-term effects of that are open to debate, but without question, San Jose should be a solid regular-season team. 

By the Numbers: The stat lines for San Jose's goalies are eerily similar. Antti Niemi and Alex Stalock have both allowed seven goals over three starts, both have a shutout to their names and they have matching .933 save percentages. The only difference is that Niemi's record is 3-0-0 while Stalock's is 1-1-1. 

2. Los Angeles Kings

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Last Week: 1

Recent Trend: The Kings have won four games in a row after dropping their first two of the season, outscoring their opponents 13-3 in the process. 

Big Picture: They're the defending Stanley Cup champions. The team's record to start the year is wholly consistent with what it's done in the very recent past. 

By the Numbers: The record looks good, but the process needs some work. L.A., typically a puck-possession monster of a franchise, has been outshot 84-34 in their last two wins, narrow victories over the respectable Blues and Wild. Jonathan Quick allowed a grand total of one goal on those 84 shots against. 

1. Chicago Blackhawks

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Last Week: 2

Recent Trend: Chicago has won three of four games this season and has a point in the other. That lone loss came at the hands of the Calgary Flames, a team Chicago outshot 50-18 in the game. 

Big Picture: The Blackhawks are a legitimate contender and one of two teams in the league with multiple recent championships. It's not a surprise to see them starting the season so well. 

By the Numbers: Patrick Sharp is among the league leaders in total shots, with a ridiculous 26 through four games. His 7.7 percent shooting percentage is a little below his career average, but even so, he's scoring at a point-per-game rate and has two goals through four contests.