After the first week of NHL betting action, things are already sorting themselves out a bit. Some teams are living up to their promise, while some are still sputtering along. Let’s take a look at some early rankings.
The Devils did start with a rough patch, facing Washington and Winnipeg, which have high-powered offenses. However, this serves as a good test to show them how far they have to improve.
Rookie Noah Hanifin is going to be spectacular, but this will be a growth year for sure.
The Leafs have started the Babcock era with three losses in a row. Their play has been OK so far, but there is definite room for improvement.
The Oilers open with a stretch of eight games out of 10 against playoff qualifiers from last year, and their scoring has suffered as a result.
The good news: Jack Eichel is terrific. The bad news: Robin Lehner, the starting goalie, is already on the shelf with an injury.
An 0-3-0 start is not promising. However, they still should turn out better than last season.
The porous defense lacks skill and depth. Goalie Tuukka Rask hasn’t been playing well either.
The Panthers destroyed the Flyers by a 7-1 margin. Hopefully, Philly will shore up their defense a bit.
The Kings are off to an 0-2-0 start, giving up nine goals combined.
Two games, two wildly different results. Will this be another tumultuous season for the Avs?
The aging Jaromir Jagr still looks sharp, leading this young, hungry team to big things early.
The Stars opened by shutting out Pittsburgh and then answered that by going into the third period up 3-1 over Colorado…only to fall 6-3. This schizophrenic start mirrors what happened last year.
Opening night was a disastrous loss to Vancouver, but then they finished the home-and-home with an overtime win over those same Canucks.
They have started 2-0-0, smacking the Kings and holding on against Pittsburgh. Can the rookies keep playing this sharp?
This is a high ranking to give to an 0-2-0 team, but they will not keep scuffing on offense like this.
The 2-0-1 start here has been impressive, but the star has been Ryan Miller, who has 92 saves on 97 shots.
They should be 2-0, but they forgot how to play hockey for 21 seconds against Minnesota.
The 2-1-0 start is a nice opening. The lack of defensive depth will start to wear on Senators fans, though.
The top six for the Jets are salty to watch, as they showed in blowing out Boston on opening night.
The Isles had to play the Blackhawks with a backup goalie. However, beating the Jets showed that the Islanders will be tough this year.
These Sharks look relaxed despite an awful finish to last season. Martin Jones looks like a terrific goalie.
Zach Parise? Four goals in two games. However, Devan Dubnyk could be a bit shaky.
Teemu Pulkkinen and Dylan Larkin have been pleasant, young surprises for the Wings’ offense so far.
The defense is off to a great start, as is goalie Pekka Rinne.
Yes, they started 0-1-1, but this is a team that will contend at the end.
The Habs are scoring in bunches, thanks to the play of Alex Galchenyuk. Carey Price is still a stone wall in goal.
Alex Ovechkin has already added a highlight goal to his lengthy reel.
The Hawks lost a ton of players in the offseason to get under the salary cap, but their offense is still dangerous.
The Rangers have 12 goals in three games, led by rookie Oscar Lindberg, who has four tallies of his own.
The Lightning have outscored their foes 13-6 in a 3-0-0 start and look ready to lead the league in goals once again.
#30 New Jersey Devils
#29 Carolina Hurricanes
#28 Toronto Maple Leafs
#27 Edmonton Oilers
#26 Buffalo Sabres
#25 Columbus Blue Jackets
#24 Boston Bruins
#23 Philadelphia Flyers
#22 Los Angeles Kings
#21 Colorado Avalanche
#20 Florida Panthers
#19 Dallas Stars
#18 Calgary Flames
#17 Arizona Coyotes
#16 Pittsburgh Penguins
#15 Vancouver Canucks
#14 St. Louis Blues
#13 Ottawa Senators
#12 Winnipeg Jets
#11 New York Islanders
#10 San Jose Sharks
#9 Minnesota Wild
#8 Detroit Red Wings
#7 Nashville Predators
#6 Anaheim Ducks
#5 Montreal Canadiens
#4 Washington Capitals
#3 Chicago Blackhawks
#2 New York Rangers
#1 Tampa Bay Lightning
