One month into the season, and first place in the Metropolitan Division isn't held by the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, nor last season's President's Trophy winners, the Washington Capitals. Instead, it's in the hands of the New York Rangers, a team that was expected to be on the decline -- and it's largely because of their unheralded secondary talent.
Other than the Montreal Canadiens, the Rangers are off to the hottest start in the NHL. They were the second team to record 10 wins, and they are now tied for second in the NHL with a record of 10-4-0.
The Rangers lead the NHL with an amazing 4.14 goals per game, are eighth best with 2.43 goals allowed per game, and their plus-24 goal differential is the best in the NHL by quite some margin: