We're two weeks, one Frozen Frenzy, and two Brady Tkachuk hat tricks into the 2026-27 NHL season. The sheer volume of games this week really allowed us to settle in and see what many of these teams are -- and aren't -- made of.
Can the Blue Jackets recover from yet another flop of a start to the season? Will Tkachuk ever stop scoring? Will any of the Flyers ever start scoring?
I don't have the answers, but maybe Taylor Swift or Bob Dylan do. Here's one random song lyric for every NHL team's start to the season.
Anaheim Ducks
1 of 32
I've got the power
I've got the power
I've got the power
I've got the power
The Power - Snap!
The Ducks have shown us that they need to clean it up on defense throughout their 4-2-0 start to the season, but that's kinda their whole schtick to begin with. One thing they definitely don't have to worry about is their scorching hot power play.
Their power play percentage is second in the league with a 33.3 percent success rate, and the young core full of high-end scoring talent is executing where it counts.
Boston Bruins
2 of 32
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface, he looks calm and ready
Lose Yourself - Eminem
Mom's spaghetti in the form of David Pastrňák's captaincy continues to make opponents ill. Somehow, the Bruins are once again doing just fine when the world calls for their demise. They're second in the Atlantic with a 5-2-0 record and a goal differential of 10; they're getting great contributions from the younger guys, and Jeremy Swayman looks strong as ever in net.
Buffalo Sabres
3 of 32
Listen, late last night, I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi took my girl away
Now, don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
-Big Yellow Taxi, Joni Mitchell
The Sabres aren't off to a terrible start, and hey, it certainly beats last year's start, in which they ended up in the playoffs regardless. Still, they're missing a little oomph on both ends of the ice since parting ways with Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram. The good news? We can count on GM Jarmo Kekäläinen to peruse the trade market eventually.
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Calgary Flames
4 of 32
I'm bad, I'm bad, come on (bad, bad, really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad (bad, bad)
You know it (really, really bad)
You know I'm bad, I'm bad (bad, bad)
Come on, you know (really, really bad)
Bad - Michael Jackson
The Flames are really, really bad in all their 1-6-0, -21 goal differential glory. At least they aren't supposed to be good like the Flyers.
Carolina Hurricanes
5 of 32
Ain't nothin' better
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin'
They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together, still going strong
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Not only are the reigning champion Hurricanes leading the East with a 6-1-1 record and 13 standings points, but their homegrown top dogs are producing. Sebastian Aho is off to one of his best career starts with six goals and 13 points in seven games, and Andrei Svechnikov has six goals and 11 points.
Chicago Blackhawks
6 of 32
You know you're good when you can even do it
With a broken heart
You know you're good, I'm good
'Cause I'm miserable
And nobody even knows
Try and come for my job
I Can Do It With A Broken Heart - Taylor Swift
This song is basically Connor Bedard's secret mantra until the Blackhawks give in and award him a suitable winger to pass to. It's been a rough start in Chicago as the Blackhawks sit at the bottom of the Central, but things are turning around thanks to Bedard's return. Just try and come for his job.
Colorado Avalanche
7 of 32
Double happy
Double happy
When everything around you starts with two
Two nappies, and two onsies, and
Two little heads are poking from the stroller
The Twin Song - The Wiggles
Congrats to Cale Makar, who welcomed twin boys on Wednesday morning. The new D-pairing is about the most exciting thing going on for the Avalanche at the moment. The team had cooled off a bit with a 4-2-1 after a hot start, but dad strength can change anything.
Columbus Blue Jackets
8 of 32
There's something we all can agree on
My baby likes what he likes
He already took me to Cleveland
And Showed me the heights
So hate all you like
Cleveland! - Taylor Swift
Maybe Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness should take his team on a field trip to Cleveland and show them the Monsters' AHL facility. This is where many of them deserve to be playing after another hapless start to the season in Columbus.
Dallas Stars
9 of 32
You keep on bragging about your so-called crew
But we don't see anything you do
You tell old tales that never were
Inventing a scene you'll never have
Something to prove
Something to prove
Something To Prove - Slapshot
We know just how capable the Stars are of maintaining a consistently great hockey team, but what's it going to take to get past the Conference Finals and finally go all the way?
The pressure is on this year: Is Mikko Rantanen's prime behind him, or will he muster up the production we expect out of him? Can Jake Oettinger keep up his great start and prove he's an elite NHL goalie? Is Jason Robertson a goner at the end of his one-year deal?
Detroit Red Wings
10 of 32
You told me yes, you held me high
And I believed when you told that lie
I played soldier, you played king
And struck me down when I kissed that ring
You lost that right to hold that crown
I built you up, but you let me down
So when you fall, I'll take my turn
And fan the flames as your blazes burn
Burn It Down - Linkin Park
Things are rough in Detroit, to say the least. The situation has become so bleak that we've got Michigan politicians on all sides weighing in. It's tough to see them coming back from Larkin's trade request and the ensuing captaincy removal, and one wonders if they should just burn it down at this point.
Edmonton Oilers
11 of 32
Don't you address me unless it's with four letters
Family Ties - Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar
Connor McDavid is off to a GOAT start, leading the league with a whopping 18 points in seven games, a plus-15 rating (on the Oilers, mind you!), and averaging 23:54 minutes per game.
Evan Bouchard is right behind him with 15 points and a plus-14 in seven games.
The Oilers as a whole are reflecting these monster performances with a 5-1-1 record and a tie for second in the Pacific.
Florida Panthers
12 of 32
The Brady bunch, the Brady bunch
That's the way we became the Brady bunch
-The Brady Brunch Theme Song
Brady Tkachuk had a quieter start to his Panthers career until making history in a two-game period. His back-to-back natural hat tricks made him the third player in NHL history with consecutive natural hat tricks. They sure made the Panthers fanbase and brother Matthew, who assisted on four of the six goals, sigh with relief.
Los Angeles Kings
13 of 32
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
Shorter of breath, and one day closer to death
Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say
Time - Pink Floyd
Time is up for the aging Kings, who don't even look scheduled for their usual first-round exit this year.
Minnesota Wild
14 of 32
Today is the greatest
Day I've ever known
Can't wait for tomorrow
I might not have that long
Today - Smashing Pumpkins
It seems like the Quinn Hughes contract talk has quieted down for at least a moment as the Wild keep rising to the top of the Central Division and Kirill Kaprizov keeps shining with a league-leading nine goals. The Wild are living for today, as they should.
Montreal Canadiens
15 of 32
Hey, don't write yourself off yet
It's only in your head, you feel left out or looked down on
Just try your best, try everything you can
And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away
It just takes some time
You're in the middle of the ride
Everything, everything will be just fine
Everything, everything will be alright, all right
The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
There isn't going to be much wiggle room in the jam-packed Atlantic Division, and the Canadiens have some work to do in the standings after starting the season 3-3-1. Still, Montreal is headed in the right direction and doing the right things after a rough start.
The Habs are scoring more goals, taking more shots, and closing game-by-game gaps, and they're starting to look like themselves again. If Jakub Dobeš can settle down in net and re-establish himself, everything will be just fine in Montreal.
Nashville Predators
16 of 32
And even though, there's no way in knowing
Where to go, promise I'm going because
I gotta get outta here
'Cause I'm afraid that this complacency is something I can't shake
I gotta get outta here
And I'm begging you, I'm begging you, I'm begging You to be my escape
Be My Escape - Relient K
Will new Predators GM Chris MacFarland be the escape from complacency they've been begging for for years, or is this team cooked beyond repair? The stars have got to start taking charge, here.
New Jersey Devils
17 of 32
Got a wife in Chino, babe
And one in Cherokee
First one says she's got my child
But it don't look like me
-Friend of the Devil, Grateful Dead
The Chino in this conversation is the Wild, who famously have the third Hughes child. Meanwhile, things are looking up in New Jersey after a 7-1 win over the happy-go-lucky Rangers. Could Quinn look like a Devil if Jack stays healthy and this team finally puts it all together?
New York Islanders
18 of 32
You're on your own kid
And you can face this
You're on your own kid
You always have been
You're On Your Own Kid - Taylor Swift
Look, Matthew Schaefer isn't totally on his own as he embarks on his sophomore season. He's getting some help from Bo Horvat and Ilya Sorokin, indeed. But they've got the kid averaging over 26 minutes per game as a teenager. The Islanders could find him a bit more help, whether it be more power-play weapons or an upgraded blue line.
New York Rangers
19 of 32
I don't mind other guys dancing with my girl
That's fine, I know them all pretty well
But I know sometimes I must get out in the light
Better leave her behind with the kids, they're alright
The kids are alright
The Kids are Alright - The Who
Artemi Panarin is dancing with another girl — a cougar, might I add — in LA. This was a gigantic change for the Rangers, and it might have been the one they needed to finally shed the vibes of yore. Alexis Lafrenière's got 11 points in nine games, and Adam Fox looks like his old (young) self. The Rangers kids are alright with a solid 6-3-0 start to the season, even without Igor Shesterkin.
We'll clearly have to see how they respond after a 7-1 loss to their rival Devils, but one game is one game in the grand scheme.
Ottawa Senators
20 of 32
Everything is changing and I never wanna go back to the way it was (The way it was)
I'm finding who I am and who I am from here on out is gonna be enough
(Gonna be enough) It's gonna be enough
Miss Movin' On - Fifth Harmony
Tkachuk might be putting up back-to-back hat tricks in Florida, but you know who's still atop the division? The Ottawa freakin' Senators. They'll take the 6-2-0 start, the emergence of Tim Stutzle, and some stellar work from Linus Ullmark every time.
Philadelphia Flyers
21 of 32
And I know things changed but I'm not sure when
I guess you'd call this regression
I left a real job and a girlfriend
Convinced myself that I'm brave enough for all of this, well
I spent a whole year in airports
And the floor feels like home
At least we're never alone
I lost track of the time zones, I'd call but you know
I'm running on empty
And the late nights and the long drives start to get to me
I'm just so tired
I spent this year as a ghost and I'm not sure what I'm looking for
Came Out Swinging - The Wonder Years
Welcome to the show, kids! Yikes. We expected some regression from last year's playoff run, and we expected some growing pains for the kids.
All of that considered, the Flyers are still off to the worst start in the NHL at a winless 0-6-3 with a -22 goal differential. It might take more than a first-line center to fix this mess, and even acquiring that piece of the puzzle is going to be a challenge.
Pittsburgh Penguins
22 of 32
Well, I've been 'fraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I'm gettin' older, too
Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
Even Sidney Crosby has to get older, and at 39 years old, we're starting to see it. The Penguins are sort of mid by design right now, as they've held on for one more year of opportunity for Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang. Will they make the most of it with a push around American Thanksgiving?
San Jose Sharks
23 of 32
God save the most judgmental creeps
Who say they want what's best for me
Sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I'll never see
But Daddy I Love Him - Taylor Swift
Macklin Celebrini's popularity has broken the containment of the hockey world, and that's a wonderful thing for the player, the Sharks, and the game as a whole. Still, there is a lot of pressure that comes with this level of fame, and it's fascinating to see him navigate it all as a 20-year-old.
The Sharks have some work to do to climb up the Pacific rankings after their 4-3-0 start to the season, but Celebrini's doing well so far with eight points in five games since returning from injury.
Seattle Kraken
24 of 32
There's a boy I know, he's the one I dream of
Looks into my eyes, takes me to the clouds above, mmm-hmm
Oh, I lose control, can't seem to get enough, uh-huh
When I wake from dreaming, tell me, is it really love?
How Will I Know - Whitney Houston
Is Seattle's better-than-expected 5-2-1 start legit? The goal differential of nine is a positive indication, as is the team-wide production. I'd still like to see a bit more consistency from Shane Wright and Matty Beniers.
St. Louis Blues
25 of 32
Johnny-come-lately
The new kid in town
Everybody loves you
So don't let them down
New Kid in Town - The Eagles
So far, so great for Mason McTavish, who's leading the Blues with five goals and eight points in seven games.
Tampa Bay Lightning
26 of 32
Running with the streetlights
Laughing at the grave
He swears he's gonna give it up
It's never gonna be enough
The End - Kings of Leon
The Lightning are laughing at their grave all the way to a 5-2-0 start, but is Nikita Kucherov slowing down? The reigning Hart Trophy champion has eight points in seven games, which is obviously great, but it's not up to snuff with the top of the league's scorers right now. Buckle up!
Toronto Maple Leafs
27 of 32
So if you wanna kick it, then I'm with it, I've been there
Felt the reeling, done the healing, said the curses and prayers
When the fever turns a dreamer into a pathetic ghost
If he's killing you, I see you
I was patient zero, oh
Patient Zero - Taylor Swift
Auston Matthews was Patient Zero of fame and pressure for the modern Leafs, and now we've got Gavin McKenna as the latest No. 1 overall center to come in and deal with it. Good thing Matthews is still around and very much still dealing with all of the above; his pointers will be helpful to usher in the McKenna era.
Utah Mammoth
28 of 32
I love when you count me out (Huh)
I love when you count me out
I love when you count me out
Count Me Out - Kendrick Lamar
All that talk of the Avalanche, the Wild, and the Stars — and look who's atop the wild, wild Central? It's the Mammoth: their soaring power play and their full-team effort! We should be excited to see how this team moves the rest of the season.
Vancouver Canucks
29 of 32
They told me all of my cages were mental
So I got wasted like all my potential
And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad
I have a lot of regrets about that
I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere
Fell behind all my classmates and I ended up here
This Is Me Trying - Taylor Swift
Elias Pettersson is having a solid point-per-game start to the season. Yay. We can't help but peer over at Bo Horvat on the Islanders. The Canucks may or may not "have a lot of regrets about that."
Vegas Golden Knights
30 of 32
But we ran away
Now all my friends are gone
Maybe we've outgrown all the things that we once loved
Runaway
But what are we running from?
A show of hands from those in this audience of one
Where have they gone?
Audience of One - Rise Against
Yes, this is a snarky attendance joke in light of Vegas' recent empty house drama.
The team is off to an amazing start, leading the Pacific at 7-2-0. Jack Eichel is off to a career start with five goals and 16 points in nine games; meanwhile, Mark Stone had a hat trick in one period alone on Thursday. All jokes aside, the Golden Knights are back and ready to fight for another Stanley Cup.
Washington Capitals
31 of 32
One more time, we're gonna celebrate
Oh yeah, alright, don't stop the dancing
One more time, we're gonna celebrate
Oh yeah, alright, don't stop the dancing
One More Time - Daft Punk
Will we be treated to one final Summer of Ovi before The Great 8 hangs them up?
The Capitals have some work to do at 4-3-0 to start the season, trailing behind the soaring Rangers and Hurricanes in the Metro. But Wednesday's 5-4 thriller, in which Cole Hutson prevailed over brother Lane's Canadiens, was a good start.
Winnipeg Jets
32 of 32
It's not right, but it's okay
I'm gonna make it anyway
Pack your bags, up and leave
Don't you dare come runnin' back to me
It's Not Right, But It's Okay - Whitney Houston
It's still very early in the season, but as Connor Hellebuyck sits out and loses $38,660 per day, the Jets have been doing just fine. Keep in mind that even with Hellebuyck, they weren't expected to have a great season. They're 4-1-2 and third in the Central, currently sitting ahead of the Avalanche. They'll take it.
