Red Wings top Power Rankings

Like hot buttered buns from the oven, your first installment of SI.com's weekly NHL Power Rankings is here. Consume 'em while they're hot, because chances are by, oh, noon or so 48 hours from now, some of these teams are likely to look like Jack Nicholson at the end of "The Shining."

Since this is my first attempt at compiling this list, a couple of disclosures about my methodology are in order: 1. If your team's name was on the little piece of white paper that I grabbed last out of the paper bag, you and your team have my apologies. 2. Like a newbie to the dating scene, there was a ton of projection going on here: hopes, fears, fondest desires, amd most dreaded shortcomings that are sure to surface at some point. It's all about projection with power polls, especially one based on only three games or less.

As Wayne Gretzky said, and the late, great Steve Jobs loved to quote, and which I paraphrase: "It ain't where the puck is, it's where the puck's going to be" that we're interested in here with this thing.

NOTE: All stats and records through games of Monday, Oct. 10.

Without further ado:

NHL Power Rankings