Are the Columbus Blue Jackets for real? They sure look like it. And how about Tampa Bay's response after losing Steven Stamkos? The Bolts simply put their heads down and got to work. Have the Florida Panthers arrived? This week's Rankings certainly have. Here we go:
1. (Last week: 1) Chicago Blackhawks, 13-4-2
The Blackhawks notched wins in Calgary and Vancouver over the weekend as the circus trip rolled on. Chicago's younger forwards are starting to step up.
2. (3) New York Rangers, 13-5-1
A home-and-home set with the rival Penguins looms on Monday and Wednesday. Giddy-up.
3. (4) Montreal Canadiens, 14-3-2
The Habs now have won 12 straight games over the Maple Leafs, but the young Buds are making it tougher on them. Saturday's 2-1 affair was a treat to watch. This age-old rivalry is entering a new phase.
4. (5) Washington Capitals, 11-5-2
Has Evgeny Kuznetsov decided to take November off? He's stuck at just seven points on the season.
5. (11) Tampa Bay Lightning, 12-6-1
The surging Bolts can sweep their five-game road trip with a win on Monday night in Nashville. Life without captain Stamkos still will be a challenge, but Tampa Bay has a deep and talented forward group.
6. (2) Pittsburgh Penguins, 11-4-3
After getting pasted 7-1 by the Capitals last week and suffering a 2-1 shootout loss at Buffalo, it's time for the Penguins to reset. And what better way to get the juices flowing than to face the Rangers twice to kick off the week?
7. (15) Columbus Blue Jackets, 10-4-2
The red-hot Jackets are 7-1-1 in November, including wins over Montreal, Anaheim, St. Louis, the Rangers and Washington (twice).
8. (16) St. Louis Blues, 10-6-3
The Blues are 8-1-2 at home but just 2-5-1 on the road, where they'll be playing their next two games -- in Boston and Washington, respectively. It's time for St. Louis to get things going away from the friendly confines.
9. (7) New Jersey Devils, 9-5-3
Life without leading scorer Taylor Hall is going to be tough. The Devils weren't exactly an offensive juggernaut with him in the lineup -- and now he'll be out 3-4 weeks.
10. (12) Boston Bruins, 11-7-0
Since dropping to 3-4-0 on Oct. 26, the Bruins have gone 8-3-0 as they begin to jell and look like a more cohesive unit.
11. (19) Florida Panthers, 10-8-1
Have the Panthers arrived? Big wins at the Bell Centre and Madison Square Garden during their recent 3-1-0 road trip suggest so.
12. (8) Ottawa Senators, 10-7-1
The Senators have dropped three of four as they get set for a big game on Tuesday night at Montreal. They beat the first-place Habs in a shootout back on Oct. 15.
13. (10) Minnesota Wild, 9-7-1
Said a veteran scout to me over the weekend regarding the Wild's 1-0 win over the Bruins last Thursday, in which Devan Dubnyk and Tuukka Rask each did their thing: "That was one of the best goalie duels I've seen in a long, long time."
14. (17) Los Angeles Kings, 10-9-1
The Kings have won three in a row, including an entertaining game Sunday night across town in Anaheim. Peter Budaj keeps answering the bell.
15. (9) Anaheim Ducks, 9-7-3
The Ducks, Oilers and Kings are all tied at 21 points in the topsy-turvy Pacific, with the Sharks just two points back. Hold on to your seats; this division is going down to the wire.
16. (6) San Jose Sharks, 9-8-1
The Sharks went 3-2-1 on their road trip and now open up a five-game homestand at the Shark Tank, beginning with New Jersey on Monday night. San Jose is only 26th in goals per game and 16th on the power play, which is kind of stunning.
17. (13) Edmonton Oilers, 10-8-1
Connor McDavid had his first NHL career hat trick Saturday in Dallas and will have many more. More important, the Oilers' win snapped a five-game losing streak.
18. (18) Nashville Predators, 7-7-3
I'm really intrigued by Monday night's home game for the Predators, with surging Tampa Bay coming to town. About a week ago, it looked like Nashville had turned a corner -- but then the Preds lost games in Toronto and St. Louis, sandwiched around a win in Ottawa.
19. (21) Dallas Stars, 7-7-5
The injury-riddled Stars have dropped three of four and just keep sputtering. This is an entertaining team built to score, but I suggest that Dallas goes back to some defensive basics for a while so it can find some footing.
20. (26) Carolina Hurricanes, 7-6-4
The Hurricanes have won four in a row, including decisions over Washington and Montreal. Veteran Cam Ward has been rock-solid in net for Carolina of late and the Hurricanes have the top-ranked PK in the league.
21. (14) Winnipeg Jets, 9-10-2
Just when it looked like the Jets were ready to fly, they dropped the opening three games of their road trip. This team is better than its record.
22. (19) Toronto Maple Leafs, 8-7-3
The Leafs are third in goals per game and 27th in goals against per game. They'll get better on the latter as the season goes on.
23. (20) Philadelphia Flyers, 8-8-3
A Flyers team that has lost five of seven now faces a tough, two-game swing through Florida and Tampa this week.
24. (28) Calgary Flames, 8-11-1
Has Chad Johnson taken the No. 1 job from Brian Elliott? Johnson has been in net four consecutive games as the Flames have won three of four.
25. (20) Detroit Red Wings, 8-10-1
A win over St. Louis on Oct. 27 improved the Wings to 6-2-0 on the season. They've since gone 2-8-1, including four straight losses.
26. (24) Colorado Avalanche, 8-9-0
There has been so much focus on the Avs' open goalie battle, but the real spotlight should be on the fact that Colorado is just 27th in goals per game.
27. (27) Buffalo Sabres, 6-8-4
The Sabres showed real life with a shootout win over the Penguins on Saturday night, which snapped a six-game winless streak. Can they feed off that emotion?
28. (29) Vancouver Canucks, 7-10-2
The Canucks blew a 3-0 third period lead Saturday night at home to Chicago in a 4-3 OT loss. Oy. The hits keep on coming.
29. (25) New York Islanders, 5-8-4
This summer, John Tavares will be one year away from unrestricted free-agent status. He has always maintained that he wants to be an Islander for life. This is just my opinion, but this season needs to turn around in order for him not to challenge that loyalty.
30. (29) Arizona Coyotes, 6-9-2
Mike Smith had 43 saves on Saturday night as the Coyotes snapped a four-game winless streak with an OT win over the Sharks.