The NHL season is a month in and we are starting to see who the real contenders are right now and the teams that are not going to do well this season. Here's the power rankings for the first month of the season.
30. Buffalo Sabres: The Sabres were expected to be maybe better than they were last year but have gotten off to a horrendous start to this season, mainly because they haven't scored goals. Connor McDavid should help them with that next year if Buffalo is last in the NHL.
29. Carolina Hurricanes: Carolina was expected to be bad this year and they have been even worse. They've been decimated with injuries but even when they'll get healthy, they still don't have the talent to compete consistently.
28. Colorado Avalanche: I expected Colorado to be even better than they were last year but they have been the complete opposite. Despite playing competitive hockey, Colorado has only one win in its last five games.
27. Arizona Coyotes: Arizona hasn't really impressed anyone this season. They've been struggling all season and couldn't even beat the easy teams this past week such as Carolina and Florida.
26. Philadelphia Flyers: Philadelphia has gotten off to another bad start to the season, which happened last season too. The issue for them this year has been the goaltending of Steve Mason hasn't been anywhere near the goaltender he was last season(but honestly who expected him to be) and they've been decimated by injuries. Once they get healthy though, they'll most likely make a run to make the playoffs.
25. Columbus Blue Jackets: Columbus has surprised me by really struggling this season but honestly who can blame them right now? Sergei Bobrovsky, who's one of the best goaltenders in the world is hurt. So are Ryan Murray and James Wisniewski their top defenseman. Once they get healthy, I'm sure they will be near the top of the Metro.
24. Edmonton Oilers: It's safe to say that the Oilers four game winning streak saved head coach Dallas Eakins his job. He's very lucky that they didn't keep losing. Edmonton is going to be without Taylor Hall, who's one of their top scorers for an extended period of time so that will really test Edmonton to see how good they can be.
23. Florida Panthers: Florida is down near the bottom of the league again this season and everyone expected that due to their poor lineup. They've been finding ways to pick up points recently but they haven't been enough to gain any ground in the Atlantic Division.
22. Winnipeg Jets: Winnipeg is on a roll right now as they have won five out of their last six games. If they can continue this hot streak that they're having, they could be a dangerous team in the West.
21. Ottawa Senators: Ottawa had a beautiful start to the season where they were on fire but that just hasn't been the case recently. If they are to get back on track, Craig Anderson and Bobby Ryan will have to step up and win games for them.
20. New York Rangers: The Rangers have had their fair share of injury problems to start the season such as Ryan McDonagh and Dan Boyle being out for them on the defense and center Derek Stepan being out since the start of the season as well. Henrik Lundqvist has had a few bad games to start the season but I'm sure when the Rangers get healthy, they'll be a force in the East once again.
19. Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto has had a interesting start to the season ranging from fans throwing their jerseys onto the ice in disgust to James Reimer having 47 saves against the Chicago Blackhawks last week. They're starting to maybe head in the right direction.
18. Calgary Flames: Calgary has really surprised a lot of people in the NHL by their strong start of 8-4-2 to the season where they are currently tied for second in the Pacific division. Jonas Hiller has done a fantastic job in net for the Flames this year and if he can keep it up, they could possibly challenge for a playoff spot.
17. Washington Capitals: Washington would be higher but they have lost five straight games which is why they are all the way down here. Brayden Holtby has been one of their biggest issues during this losing streak as he has not hit .900 save percentage bar. They are going to need to be better if they want to get back in the playoffs.
16. New York Islanders: After such an amazing start to the season, it looks as if the Islanders have finally cooled off. They have been on a three game osing streak and just got passed by the Devils for second place in the division. I know it's early and they can easily turn things around again.
15. Dallas Stars: Dallas was a team that a lot of people at the start of the season thought that this team is easily going to be even better than last year. They started out good but this past week has been awful as they have lost four games in a row and have dropped to sixth in the Central.
14. New Jersey Devils: New Jersey owns a nice 6-4-2 record right now and second place in the Metro. But last week they got crushed by the Penguins 8-3, which raised some concern among Devils fans.
13. Detroit Red Wings: Detroit is off to a good start this season but they are crowded with a bunch of other teams in the Atlantic division right now. The good news for Detroit is that Pavel Datsyuk has been lights out for them so far this year.
12. San Jose Sharks: San Jose is enjoying another good start to the season and Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau have been scoring a lot this season for the Sharks which is what they desperately needed from their top two players. Goaltender Antti Niemi has been good in goal for the Sharks. This could be big as he tries and earns his new contract in San Jose.
11. Boston Bruins: Boston has struggled at times this season with their scoring but despite that they are second in the Atlantic division. Tuukka Rask seems to have finally found his game which is huge for Boston if they are to win the Atlantic this year. They are still going to be without top defenseman Zdeno Chara for awhile but they should be okay until he comes back.
10. Nashville Predators: The Predators have shocked a lot of people throughout the first month of the season as they have played very well. They're second in the Central division and probably the biggest positive for Nashville is that Pekka Rinne is back on top of his game and if he can stay on top for a while. This team will have no problems making the playoffs since when he's healthy, he's one of the best goaltenders in the league.
9. Los Angeles Kings: The Kings started out red hot but went on a little losing streak to end the week last week which dropped them a few spots in the Pacific division standings.
8. Vancouver Canucks: This is another team that has surprised me this season with their great play. The Sedin twins seem like they're back and Radim Vrbata is proving that he was a really good signing for Vancouver.
7. Montreal Canadians: Despite co-leading the Atlantic division with Tampa Bay, this team has lost three out of fou after starting out the season 7-1. They're still in great shape right now.
6. Chicago Blackhawks: Chicago has been strugglng to score goals lately even though they have been racking up a ton of shots (hence the Toronto and Anaheim games last week).
5. Minnesota Wild: The Wild have been great again this season, especially at home and goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been surprisingly good this season for them. They dropped their first game at home this season against the Penguins on Tuesday night but they face an even bigger problem as Zach Parise is now hurt,
4. Tampa Bay Lightning: Tampa has been great to start the season again which is not surprising since it is such a young and upcoming team. Steven Stamkos has been playing good as usual but you'll be surprised to know that Tyler Johnson is actually leading the team in points right now.
3. St. Louis Blues: Ken Hitchock's Blues are currently leading the Central division and are on a six-game winning streak right now. Vladimir Tarasenko is playing some of the best hockey of his life right now and he's a big reason why they are in first place.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins: Their on a five-game winning streak and Sidney Crosby has been playing some great hockey for them. Pittsburgh is thriving under new coach Mike Johnston's system. Oh and Marc-Andre Fleury has three shutouts in his last four starts just to tell you how good he's doing this season.
1. Anaheim Ducks: This team is the best team in hockey and you really can't argue against it. They're 10-3 right now with 20 points, which leads the Pacific division. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are having great starts to their seasons, especially Corey Perry who was just named the first star of the month of October by the NHL.