Raise your hand if, back in October, you had the Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks among your top 10 NHL teams.
OK, now put it down, because there's no way that's true.
In reality, each of those teams had reason to believe they'd be in the mix during the 2018-19 campaign -- the Sabres finally tapping into their developed youth, the Flames rebounding with more offense and the Ducks recovering from a wave of injuries. But now we're approaching the new year and all three are legitimately doing things. The Sabres have fallen off a bit since a monumental win streak, and it remains to be seen how long Anaheim's resurgence will last, but the fact that this trio of non-playoff contenders from the year prior has taken turns challenging the best of the best shows how much fluctuation there's been in the NHL's second tier.
By second tier, of course, we mean the teams below the Grade-A Stanley Cup favorites. The Tampa Bay Lightning. The The Toronto Maple Leafs. The Nashville Predators. The suddenly streaking Winnipeg Jets. And if we're being honest, each week that passes brings us closer to moving the Lightning to a tier of their own.
In this week's edition of NHL power rankings, you'll find that Tampa Bay has a firm hold on that top spot, with some movement from unexpected competitors -- like the Ducks and the Vancouver Canucks -- below:
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The gap is widening. Who wants to play this team right now? (Besides you, Jets!) | -- | 7-5-0 |
| 2 |  | If you have to pick someone other than the Lightning in the playoffs, the safe money might be here, if only because their offensive upside is through the roof. | -- | 6-5-2 |
| 3 |  | Here's the hot streak we've been waiting for. We're also far enough into the season to confirm that last year was no fluke. | 2 | 11-1-0 |
| 4 |  | You wonder how long Mike Smith can keep doing his thing in the net, but as long as he does, they're for real. | 1 | 6-5-1 |
| 5 |  | It's a testament to their incredible start that they can slip up with several off weeks in a row and yet remain near the top of the NHL standings. | 1 | 4-6-1 |
| 6 |  | Don't criticize them for trouncing lesser competition. Celebrate them for beating who they should. The Caps are back, and they're rolling. | 1 | 8-3-0 |
| 7 |  | December is just the time to get hot, apparently. We've known for a while they have the talent. And check out those numbers at home: 11-3-2. | 2 | 3-8-2 |
| 8 |  | All of a sudden their streak is fading into the distance. And they'll need to regain their balance in a hurry if they plan on sticking with the big dogs. Their goal differential is unlike most other top-10 teams. (It's far worse.) | -- | 4-7-1 |
| 9 |  | They're weird in that they've had a rough last week or two and are on the verge of slipping out of the standings' top 10, yet their numbers -- and explosive potential -- rival some of the best in the NHL. | 3 | 5-7-0 |
| 10 |  | Somehow they've continued to string together wins despite durability problems. We'll see just how long they'll last in an ever-shifting Pacific. | 2 | 4-5-2 |
| 11 |  | What happens if, when the Bruins finally get their reinforcements, wins still aren't easy to come by? And what, exactly, is this club's playoff ceiling? | 1 | 6-6-1 |
| 12 |  | It's astounding how much of their success depends on whether or not they're playing in Las Vegas. | 1 | 8-3-1 |
| 13 |  | Would they dare make a splash to complement their big-name scorers? Because there's not enough balance across the board to keep them level with the true contenders. | 1 | 5-5-1 |
| 14 |  | If you think the Golden Knights' win total is contingent upon plenty of home games, just look at this team. | 3 | 7-4-0 |
| 15 |  | Is it crazy to suggest Ken Hitchcock's arrival had this much affect on them? Heck no! They're 15th, for crying out loud! | 2 | 6-5-1 |
| 16 |  | Great start or not, the Habs look like the kind of team that's headed for a fall out of the top 20 rather soon. Proven playoff hopefuls like the Pens and the Wild are due to keep climbing. | 1 | 4-7-1 |
| 17 |  | They won't die. And while their offensive marks still aren't the greatest, they're finding ways to take care of the games they need to. | 2 | 4-6-2 |
| 18 |  | Matt Murray is back, so that's good, we guess? The best thing we can say is they finished this past week above .500. | -- | 5-7-1 |
| 19 |  | This week's matchup with Pittsburgh is such a perfect showdown for two disappointing postseason vets. | 3 | 8-1-2 |
| 20 |  | As soon as we bury them, they rise again. The young offensive firepower has been apparent for some time. But can they hang around for good this time? | 6 | 5-2-3 |
| 21 |  | Lump them in with Dallas and Vegas. If every game were in New York, you might be convinced they're not in a rebuild. | -- | 8-2-1 |
| 22 |  | You can swap them with just about any of the following three or four teams. It's a pile of familiar scraps in these parts. But at least Carolina's got some young scorers to develop. | 2 | 8-2-0 |
| 23 |  | It's kind of a shame to see them rout a team like the Sabres when, in reality, most of us thought they'd be in Buffalo's shoes by now. | 1 | 9-3-1 |
| 24 |  | When you realize that Antti Raanta is going to be sorely missed, you're probably not that great of a hockey team anyway. | 2 | |
| 25 |  | Things are reverting to early-season form in a hurry. And if that results in more salary shedding and prospect acquisition, is it really such a bad thing? | 2 | 5-5-1 |
| 26 |  | They are awful on the road, but we're not going to lie. Any wins they get are more than we expect from them. | 1 | 6-5-0 |
| 27 |  | The Carter Hart Show has begun! And Dave Hakstol is out. The winds of change are certainly blowing. | -- | 4-7-1 |
| 28 |  | Nice of them to show up against the Oilers, but their 7-2 drubbing at the hands of the Flames beforehand was more in line with this season. | 1 | 6-6-0 |
| 29 |  | It keeps getting worse. And it's partially because they flashed so much potential the year before. | 1 | 7-5-2 |
| 30 |  | At least they've embraced their role as potential spoilers! | -- | 6-3-3 |
| 31 |  | Good for them to keep some pride and edge Nashville. But any other night, they're probably the one team you want to play. | -- | 5-7-1 |
