NHL Power Rankings: Lightning bolt ahead of the pack

theScore's NHL Power Rankings are published every other Monday. Our second go-round is put together by editors Josh Gold-Smith, Sean O'Leary, and Josh Wegman.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (7-1-1) ▲

Previously 12th

Imagine a team where a healthy Steven Stamkos isn't even the top offensive weapon? Thanks to Nikita Kucherov, that's the Lightning these days - and that's awfully scary. - Wegman

2. Los Angeles Kings (6-0-1) ▲

Previously 5th

The Kings are faster, younger, and the only team without a regulation loss. New head coach John Stevens has them playing a more aggressive style, and it's working - especially while Jonathan Quick looks like he wants a Vezina. - Wegman

3. Toronto Maple Leafs (6-2-0) ▼

Previously 2nd

The Leafs still have troubles in their own end, but nobody can argue with their prolific offense. Thirteen players are on pace for at least 40 points, and Auston Matthews is an early Hart candidate. - Wegman

4. Chicago Blackhawks (5-2-2) ▼

Previously 1st

The Blackhawks still have plenty of speed and three dangerous lines. It would be foolish to disrespect a team with three Stanley Cups in the last decade. - Wegman

5. Pittsburgh Penguins (5-3-1) ▲

Previously 11th

Glaring weaknesses at third-line center and backup goalie could hold the Pens back until they find upgrades, but the champs still have the firepower to keep them in the top five. - Wegman

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

6. Ottawa Senators (4-1-3) ▲

Previously 21st

The Sens avoided what many thought would be a disaster, going 3-0-2 without Erik Karlsson in the lineup. The captain has now played three games, and already has six points. They'll be a tough team to beat from here on out. - Wegman

7. St. Louis Blues (6-2-1) ▼

Previously 4th

Even with all the early injuries, the Blues remain one of the league's top teams, in large part due to captain Alex Pietrangelo, Jaden Schwartz, and Vladimir Tarasenko. - Wegman

8. Dallas Stars (5-3-0) ▲

Previously 27th

The Stars experienced some growing pains to start the year, but those can be expected with a new head coach. They've now won four straight, albeit against a relatively soft schedule. Ben Bishop has provided a long-awaited solution in goal, and we all know this team can score. - Wegman

9. Philadelphia Flyers (5-3-0) ▼

Previously 8th

Moving captain Claude Giroux to the wing has paid early dividends, as he has 10 points in eight games. Sean Couturier, known more as a shutdown player, has flourished in the No. 1 center role, providing offense and defense. Regardless, the Flyers' depth up the middle will be a question mark moving forward. - Wegman

10. New Jersey Devils (6-2-0) ▲

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Previously 19th

The Devils are young, fast, skilled, and exciting to watch, but it's still awfully early. They've had some impressive victories - beating three teams ahead of them in these power rankings - but we're still in wait-and-see mode. - Wegman

11. Columbus Blue Jackets (5-3-0) ▲

Previously 14th

Newcomer Artemi Panarin has settled in quite nicely, and along with Alexander Wennberg and Cam Atkinson, he's part of what's been one of the most productive lines in the NHL. Back-to-back losses to the Lightning and Kings aren't much to be ashamed of. - O'Leary

12. Washington Capitals (4-4-1) ▼

Previously 3rd

Alex Ovechkin has slowed drastically after a scorching start, and losses to the Maple Leafs and Panthers over the weekend have Washington trending in the wrong direction. - O'Leary

13. Anaheim Ducks (3-3-1) ▼

Previously 10th

Boy, the loss of Cam Fowler is really going to test what's already a depleted defense. Thankfully, John Gibson has quietly posted a .932 save percentage through seven starts - O'Leary

14. Nashville Predators (4-3-1) ▲

Previously 29th

The Preds haven't looked particularly great or particularly bad, but if they can keep up high shot rates, their wildly low shooting percentage (5.95) should improve, and so should their record. - O'Leary

15. Vegas Golden Knights (6-1-0) ▼

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Previously 6th

Vegas keeps winning, but with Oscar Dansk leading the charge in goal from here on out, you can color us skeptical. - O'Leary

16. New York Islanders (4-3-1) ▲

Previously 22nd

The Islanders have been fairly average across the board, but have managed just a 4 percent conversion rate on the power play - how is that even possible? - O'Leary

17. Calgary Flames (4-4-0) ▼

Previously 16th

Mike Smith's early workload has been similar to his prior duties in Arizona, but he's survived so far, posting a .927 save percentage across eight starts. Calgary still might want to cut down on the shots against per game (35.4). - O'Leary

18. Florida Panthers (3-4-0) ▼

Previously 15th

Florida's offered a balanced attack so far, but with Roberto Luongo headed to the IR, the team will need to tidy things up in the defensive zone. - O'Leary

19. Minnesota Wild (2-2-2) ▲

Previously 25th

The Wild have been ravaged by injuries, and should be focused on staying afloat until their talented roster can be reassembled. - O'Leary

20. Edmonton Oilers (2-5-0) ▼

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Previously 15th

The Oilers have managed a worse record than nearly every team on this list, but considering they're averaging almost 40 shots per game and still employ Connor McDavid, they retain the benefit of the doubt, for the time being. - O'Leary

21. Boston Bruins (3-3-1) ▼

Previously 9th

Things have really gone downhill for the Bruins since their season-opening win over the Predators.

A slew of injuries (Tuukka Rask, Ryan Spooner, Adam McQuaid), a pair of losses to the Avalanche, and an overtime loss to the Sabres in which they blew a three-goal lead have left Boston smarting, despite getting Patrice Bergeron and David Backes back from their respective ailments. - Gold-Smith

22. Winnipeg Jets (4-3-0) ▲

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Previously 31st

Winning four of out five games since the last edition of the power rankings gets the Jets out of our basement and closer to where many project they'll ultimately finish.

Victories over the Oilers and Wild inspire some hope, but Winnipeg still has some work to do before it can be considered a legitimate playoff threat. - Gold-Smith

23. Carolina Hurricanes (3-2-1) ▼

Previously 18th

It wasn't easy evaluating the Hurricanes after one game, but it's a little clearer now. Carolina earned big road wins over the Oilers and Flames, but losses to the Jets and Stars showed consistency is still a work in progress. - Gold-Smith

24. Vancouver Canucks (4-3-1) ▼

Previously 17th

Vancouver has won three of its last four, but two of those were over the Sabres and Red Wings. It's only a matter of time before reality sets in. - Gold-Smith

25. San Jose Sharks (3-4-0) ▲

Previously 30th

Wins against a couple of struggling squads in the Canadiens and Sabres and a victory over the surprising Devils were enough for the Sharks to gain some ground, despite a pair of losses to the Islanders.

San Jose still isn't scoring enough, though, and will need to figure that out as it continues a five-game road trip Monday at Madison Square Garden. - Gold-Smith

26. Detroit Red Wings (4-4-1) ▼

Previously 7th

Last week was a big test for the Red Wings, and they failed it by losing three games against legit contenders in the Lightning, Maple Leafs, and Capitals. Following that up with a 4-1 beatdown on home ice at the hands of the Canucks wasn't great, either. - Gold-Smith

27. New York Rangers (2-5-2) ▼

Previously 23rd

The Rangers have lost five of their last six, and while Saturday's win over the Predators was a good sign, New York hasn't been playing to its full potential. We knew the Rangers were going to regress, but it wasn't supposed to happen this quickly. - Gold-Smith

28. Colorado Avalanche (4-4-0) ▼

Previously 20th

Last week, we told you not to get used to seeing the Avalanche ranked as high as they were, and Colorado responded by winning three straight, before losing three in a row. Despite solid play at times, the Avalanche are still too inconsistent to sustain success over the long haul. - Gold-Smith

29. Montreal Canadiens (1-6-1) ▼

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Previously 24th

It's still way too early for the Canadiens to give up on the season, but seven straight losses are definitely cause for concern. Montreal went 0-for-3 on its California road swing last week, as both scoring and defense remain major issues. - Gold-Smith

30. Buffalo Sabres (2-5-2) ▼

Previously 26th

The Sabres earned a big comeback win over the Bruins on Saturday night, but they still have the third-worst goal differential in the league and a host of root causes to account for that. - Gold-Smith

31. Arizona Coyotes (0-7-1) ▼

Previously 28th

The NHL's lone remaining winless team has seven regulation losses in eight games. That's bad. - Gold-Smith