Helene Elliott’s NHL rankings

Rank; Team; Record

1. Detroit; 2-0-0; Red Wings spoil Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup banner raising and blank Ducks. Fine start.

2. Toronto; 2-0-0; So Brian Burke is a genius after all.

3. Edmonton; 2-0-0; Don’t tell kids like Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle they’re not supposed to be this good so soon.

4. Carolina; 2-0-0; Hurricanes sweep two-game set from Wild in Helsinki.

5. Philadelphia; 2-0-1; Rookie goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky fills in capably for injured Michael Leighton.

6. Dallas; 2-0-0; Brenden Morrow scores three goals to lead Stars’ good start.

7. St. Louis; 2-0-0; Goalie Jaroslav Halak wins Blues debut then has easy, 14-shot victory over Ducks.

8. Tampa Bay; 1-0-0; Steven Stamkos (two goals, three points) looks ready for another big season.

9. Washington; 2-1-0; Alexander Ovechkin’s overtime goal beats Ottawa in battle of U.S.-Canada capitals.

10. San Jose; 1-0-1; Joe Thornton gets the C. What really matters for Sharks is getting Ws in May and June.

11. N.Y. Rangers; 1-1-0; Rookie center Derek Stepan records hat trick in debut, but ugly loss to Islanders.

12. Nashville; 1-0-0; Predators reportedly talking to defenseman Shea Weber about an extension. They must keep him to keep credibility.

13. Colorado; 1-1-0; Unlike last season, they won’t surprise anyone this season.

14. Kings; 1-1-0; Will five-on-five scoring be a weakness again?

15. Vancouver; 1-0-1; Henrik and Daniel Sedin are twin terrors again.

16. Atlanta; 1-1-0; Goalie Ondrej Pavelec feeling better after scary fainting episode last week.

17. Phoenix; 1-1-0; Rookie defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson getting lots of ice time and praise.

18. Boston; 1-1-0; Bruins lock up Zdeno Chara for seven years and $45.5 million.

19. Chicago; 1-1-1; Blackhawks are learning fast that their Cup defense won’t be easy.

20. Columbus; 1-1-0; Blue Jackets get six-day break after games in Sweden, open at home Friday.

21. Calgary; 1-1-0; If they could play the Kings at home more often, they’d be fine — they’ve beaten Kings 10 straight times in Saddledome.

22. Buffalo; 1-2-0; Jason Pominville suffers concussion Monday in loss to Chicago.

23. Montreal; 1-1-0; Goalie Carey Price silences critics — at least for now — with victory over Penguins.

24. Pittsburgh; 1-2-0; Penguins lose first two games at new Consol Energy Center, win on road.

25. N.Y. Islanders; 1-0-1; Beating Rangers always a high point for them, but John Tavares’ concussion adds to their injury woes.

26. Minnesota; 0-1-1; Wild’s home sellout streak is in serious jeopardy. Started with the franchise in 2000.

27. Florida; 0-2-0; Panthers lose first two on Western Canada trip, with one stop left.

28. Ottawa; 0-2-1; Held to one goal per game in losses to Toronto and Buffalo and two in overtime loss to Washington.

29. New Jersey; 0-2-1; Very unlike the Devils to give up 14 goals in three games.

30. Ducks; 0-3-0; Outscored, 13-2, in first three and allowed opponents to take 145 shots. This could be a long season.