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NHL's biggest early-season surprise teams: Which trends will continue?

The Golden Knights are off to a surprisingly hot start in their inaugural season, with a 6-1-0 record through seven games. David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images

The first few weeks of the 2017-18 season are complete, and there are several teams who find themselves in unfamiliar positions at either the top or the bottom of the NHL standings.

Although it's important to not read too much into these early results, the underlying numbers can sometimes provide some valuable clues about which teams might be there to stay.