The 7-Eleven Power Rankings - Ride The Lightning

Since losing their second game, Tampa Bay is on fire at 6-0-1. Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos have earned a point in all nine Lightning games, and Andrei Vasilevskiy has a .933 save percentage.

The seven-game opening point streak is tied for the best in team history. They've also allowed the fewest goals (14), with Kopitar and Brown adjusting well to new coach John Stevens' strategies.  

There’s no problem scoring with a 4.63 goals per game average, best in the NHL. The problem is defensively they’ve allowed 3.50 a game. Can Roman Polak get the job done in place of Calle Rosen?

The early-season success of the Blues isn’t the result of an easy schedule. Seven of their first nine games have been on the road where they are sporting a 4-2-1 record. Jayden Schwartz has 13 points.

Their ridiculous early-franchise exploits added another chapter when they played their third overtime game and won for the third time. Will they keep winning now that new starter Oscar Dansk is in net?

The Devils had 12 road wins last season. This year, they are perfect on the road with a 4-0 record and five goals scored per game. Cory Schneider is expected to return Friday against the Senators. 

It’s early, but the 35.9 shots against per game are the most for the team since shots starting being recorded. This year, they’ve allowed more than 40 three times - one time shy of all of last year. 

All of Ottawa’s wins have been against Canadian teams (as well as their one regulation loss) and they’ve shown little mercy in three of them, but Bobby Ryan (broken index finger - again) will be missed.

Since a cold start to the season when they lost their first two, Dallas has gone 5-1. The Stars are on a four-game winning streak with former L.A. King Ben Bishop sporting a 2.09 goals-against average.

Sonny Milano is the Blue Jackets’ unlikely goal-scoring leader with five, which also places the left winger second behind Coyotes centre Clayton Keller (six goals, eight points) among rookies. 

The Pens might miss Marc-Andre Fleury. Matt Murray is 5-0-1, but when former backup Antti Niemi started - he was claimed off waivers by Florida Tuesday - they went 0-3, losing 10-1, 5-4, and 7-1. 

Wayne Simmonds' goal against Edmonton on Saturday gave the Flyers their fifth win and he has the game-winning goal in four of them. Off-season acquisition Brian Elliott is 4-1 this season.

Alex Ovechkin's OT winner against Detroit was the 20th of his career, giving him the all-time lead. The Caps have lost three straight at home so a three-game road trip could help turn things around.

The bad news is that Steve Mason is 0-3 with a 5.98 GAA. The good news is that Connor Hellebuyck is 4-0 (2.32 GAA) and the Jets have won four of five, with Blake Wheeler scoring his 200th career goal.

Pekke Rinne was spectacular in the playoffs with a 1.96 GAA and a .930 save percentage. He’s picked up where he left off with a 2.01 GAA and a .932 save percentage. Forsberg has six goals and 11 points.

The Islanders finally scored their first power play goal in their seventh game. But it’s still their only one and ties them for last (Anaheim) with a 4.0 power play percentage. Eberle has yet to score.

The Canucks got off to a decent start on their five-game road trip, shutting out Ottawa. They lost to Boston, but rebounded to defeat Buffalo and Detroit. Winger Derek Dorsett has five goals.

A hot 4-1-0 start for the Red Wings turned cold quickly with a four-game winless streak. Will the addition of speedy forward Andreas Athanasiou to the roster lead the Wings to the promised land?

Jaromir Jagr, now on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, has two assists in his first five games and has also tied Gordie Howe for second place with 1,924 regular season and playoff games. 

An easy schedule – just one game, a 6-2 pounding of Montreal – comes at a good time for the Ducks as they hope to get more injured players healthy when they head out on a four-game Eastern trip. 

They’re .500, but the injury-riddled Wild now play six straight home games. Alex Stalock has a save percentage of .924 in two games while starter Devan Dubnyk (.888 save percentage) has struggled.

Longtime Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward, now a backup, got into his first game of the season in Edmonton and faced a 51-shot barrage, pulling out a 5-3 victory, and the team has won two of three.

The return of Patrice Bergeron to the lineup paid immediate dividends with a goal and three helpers in a 6-3 victory over Vancouver. Meanwhile, Brad Marchand has six goals and five assists in seven games.

James Reimer stepped in for an injured Roberto Luongo and made 41 saves in a 4-1 victory over Washington, upping his career mark to 15-2-3 in games in which the ex-Leaf faced at least 40 shots. 

They’ve not only lost three games in a row, they’ve also lost rookies Tyson Jost and J.T. Compher to injuries. Star forward Matt Duchene (seven points) is still in the fold, but for how long?

Leading the league in Corsi percentage (57.7%) last week didn't mean much to the Oilers, who have one overtime win since opening night. They’ve also failed to score more than three goals in any game.

The Sharks have been spinning their wheels in the early going, but the same can’t be said for Logan Couture, who has six goals in their first seven games. Martin Jones also earned a shutout last week.

Despite just 15 SOG, the Rangers ended a five-game winless streak with a 4-2 win over Nashville. But they’ve given up too many first goals and too many power play goals early in the season.

Four straight goals erased a three-goal deficit in Boston and gave new coach Phil Housley and his Sabres their second victory of the season. Both of their wins have come on the road. 

The Habs haven’t won since a shootout in their opening game. They’ve scored three goals only once and were outscored 16-5 on their three-game West Coast trip. Price is 1-5-1 with a 3.94 GAA.

So much for the importance of scoring first. The league’s only winless team has scored first in six of eight games, but are off to their worst start in franchise history. Weep Niklas Hjalmarsson, weep.