NHL Power Rankings: Canadiens aim to make history

9-0-0, 18 points: The Canadiens are looking to become the third team in NHL history to open the season with 10 consecutive wins.

6-1-0, 12 points: The Capitals haven't lost since their second game of the season, and have a plus-14 goal differential during their five-game winning streak.

6-1-1, 13 points: The Predators are getting it done on both sides of the ice, ranking No. 3 in goals against (2.00) and No. 10 in goals scored (2.88).

6-2-0, 12 points: Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin have combined for 12 goals and 12 assists in the first eight games of the season.

6-2-2, 14 points: The Rangers recovered from a three-game losing streak by gathering seven points out of a possible eight this week, and outscored their opponents by 9.

5-3-0, 10 points: Without Duncan Keith, the Blackhawks held Florida to 18 shots on goal and shut out last year's Eastern Conference champion.

5-2-1, 11 points: The Islanders own the fourth-best penalty kill unit through Week 3, a significant leap after finishing No. 26 last season.

5-2-2, 12 points: The Lightning are in the middle of a tough Central Division road trip, and have picked up at least a point in all three of those games.

5-2-1, 11 points: The Blues are the league's best puck possession team (58.1 Corsi), but have only scored the first goal of the game in two of their opening eight games.

5-3-0, 10 points: Goals allowed during the Kings' five-game winning streak: 1, 1, 1, 0, 2.

5-2-1, 11 points: The Jets may be able to remove some doubt whether they are contenders or pretenders with Chicago and Los Angeles, two of the league's best puck-possession teams, up next.

5-3-0, 10 points: The Sharks have allowed 16 goals in their last four games, and have given up at least one power play goal in all four of them.

5-2-1, 11 points: The Wild are 4-1 when Zach Parise scores a goal this season.

4-2-1, 9 points: Michal Neuvirth (upper-body injury) will be available for return on Thursday, which means the Flyers won't be without their 1-2 punch in goal for much longer.

4-3-1, 9 points: The Panthers' depth will be tested after Aleksander Barkov, the team's fourth-leading scorer, will be sidelined for 2-to-4 weeks with a broken hand.

4-3-1, 9 points: The Red Wings are being plagued with injuries yet again, but good news: Pavel Datsyuk practiced for the first time.

4-4-0, 8 points: The Penguins rank No. 29 in scoring, forcing coach Mike Johnston to spruce things up by separating Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel.

4-3-1, 9 points: After a 3-0 start, the Coyotes have dropped four of their last fives games. 

3-3-1, 7 points: The Bruins are averaging the third-most goals (3.86), but are allowing 4.14 goals per game, which ranks second-worst.

3-2-3, 9 points: Henrik and Daniel Sedin combined for four points (two goals, two assists) in the season opener. In the seven games since then, they've combined for just five points (two goals, three assists).

4-3-1, 9 points: The Devils are on a four-game winning streak, but only one of those wins ended in regulation.

3-6-0, 6 points: Connor McDavid is on a five-game point streak (four goals, four assists). 

3-3-2, 8 points: The Senators got Andrew Hammond back, but that didn't help much. They're 0-2-2 after winning three of four to start the season.

2-6-0, 4 points: Kris Versteeg is Carolina's leading scorer with five points.

2-4-1, 5 points: The Avalanche own a Top 5 special teams unit, but are the league's worst puck-possession team with a 39.6 Corsi. 

2-6-0, 4 points: The Sabres are averaging 1.88 goals per game, and it won't get any easier with Evander Kane (sprained MCL) out 4-to-6 weeks.

2-6-0, 4 points: The Flames have yet to earn a win in regulation.

1-8-0, 2 points: The hiring of John Tortorella quickly takes attention off the players, which is great for a young team with high expectations.

1-5-1, 2 points: It appears the Ducks have officially tuned out Bruce Boudreau, whose team has been shut out in four of seven games this season.