Imagine a place where unbridled optimism turns to abject fatalism over the course of 60 minutes, accompanied by daily seismic shifts in standings.

Welcome to the first week of the NHL season, 2024-25 style.

With a precious few exceptions, there's a good chance fanbase expectations across the league's 32 cities have already veered wildly, though none of the teams had played more than six games before Wednesday night and some had played as few as two.

It's a perilous world in which to trek, but the B/R hockey team nevertheless put on its collective voting hats and compiled the season's inaugural NHL Power Rankings, aptly subtitled "Where Every Team Stands After First Week of the 2024-25 Season."

The specs carry over from our most recent rankings on opening night, where a first-place vote netted 32 points and a 32nd-place tally yielded one. The vote/point totals are reflected by the rankings, and we invite you to take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the comments.

Editor's note: Votes were tallied before games were played on Wednesday, Oct. 16

32. Colorado Avalanche

Previous Ranking: 5

Overall Record: 0-3-0

So, if you had zero wins and a minus-10 goal differential on your Colorado bingo card for the first three games, go to the prize desk to claim your winnings. Otherwise, wring hands and tug at your hair until the Avalanche turn things around, which they will. Probably.

31. Nashville Predators

Previous Ranking: 10

Overall Record: 0-3-0

You could always go ask a New York Jets fan, but if you need NHL-based evidence that winning the offseason is not always an instant elixir, look no further than the Predators. Their 0-3-0 start includes an ugly 7-3 home loss to Seattle on Tuesday night.

30. Edmonton Oilers

Previous Ranking: 3

Overall Record: 1-3-0

Quick, someone get Jay Woodcroft on the phone. After all, it was a sluggish start in 2023-24 that cost him the head coach gig with the Oilers, which they'd replicated by being outscored 15-3 in three straight losses before rebounding slightly with an OT win over Philadelphia.

28. (tie) San Jose Sharks

Previous Ranking: 32

Overall Record: 0-1-2

It's no surprise the Sharks are without a win through three games of the season. But there's plenty of reason to think things will improve when No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini returns from a lower-body injury, given he had a goal and an assist in the only game he played.

28. (tie) Buffalo Sabres

Previous Ranking: 19

Overall Record: 1-3-1

It's been a struggle back in Buffalo for Lindy Ruff. The Sabres' coach has seen his team start the season 0-for-15 on the power play and saw his charges blow a late lead in Wednesday night's OT loss to Pittsburgh.

27. Columbus Blue Jackets

Previous Ranking: 31

Overall Record: 1-2-0

The Blue Jackets had as difficult an offseason as can be imagined with the death of star forward Johnny Gaudreau, but they made it through an emotional home opener and are ready to move forward. "Johnny's one of our brothers," forward Cole Sillinger said.

26. Anaheim Ducks

Previous Ranking: 30

Overall Record: 2-1-0

The young Ducks have gotten off to a good start in the wide-open Pacific Division and won their ninth straight home opener with a thrilling 5-4 OT win over Utah Wednesday night. Leo Carlsson tallied the decider and Trevor Zegras recorded his 100th assist.

25. Detroit Red Wings

Previous Ranking: 16

Overall Record: 1-2-0

A 1-2-0 start to the season isn't disastrous by any measure, but it's easy to identify an anemic power play as an issue so far. The Red Wings were 0-for-4 against the New York Rangers on Monday and have scored just once with a man-advantage in 11 tries in three games.

24. Vancouver Canucks

Previous Ranking: 6

Overall Record: 0-1-2

You may have picked up on the theme already, but it's not been an easy start to 2024-25 for some of 2023-24's elite teams. The Canucks are another side that has struggled out of the gate while losing once in regulation, once in OT and once in a shootout, allowing 15 goals.

23. Chicago Blackhawks

Previous Ranking: 27

Overall Record: 1-2-1

Starting the season with four straight road games is hardly ideal, but Connor Bedard wasn't using the trip as an excuse for a one-win record. "In the end, it's about how many games you win," he said, "and only getting one is not great. You can take positives from what we did."

22. Philadelphia Flyers

Previous Ranking: 25

Overall Record: 1-1-1

The Matvei Michkov era is underway after the phenom scored his first two NHL goals at Edmonton. "He's out here blocking shots also and doing all the other stuff that creates that team camaraderie, that team concept," coach John Tortorella said. "That's really important."

21. Washington Capitals

Previous Ranking: 23

Overall Record: 1-1-0

It was an early-season revenge opportunity for goalie Logan Thompson and he cashed it in for the Capitals, making 24 saves on Tuesday in a 4-2 win against the team that traded him. He won 56 games with the Vegas Golden Knights over parts of four seasons.

20. New York Islanders

Previous Ranking: 18

Overall Record: 1-1-1

Monday's win at Colorado yielded a big return for both coach Patrick Roy and goalie Ilya Sorokin. It was Roy's first game in Denver since he coached there from 2013-16, and it was Sorokin's first game of the season after he underwent summertime back surgery.

19. St. Louis Blues

Previous Ranking: 24

Overall Record: 2-2-0

A three-game road trip and a home opener doesn't provide much in the way of season-long evidence, but the early returns are strong for newly acquired defenseman Philip Broberg, who's got a goal and three assists in his first four games since arriving from Edmonton.

18. Montreal Canadiens

Previous Ranking: 28

Overall Record: 2-2-0

Consistency in goal will go a long way toward determining season-long success for the Canadiens, who allowed just one goal in a pair of wins on home ice but surrendered five plus an empty-netter in a lopsided loss to visiting Pittsburgh on Monday at Bell Centre.

17. Seattle Kraken

Previous Ranking: 26

Overall Record: 2-2-0

And suddenly we have an offensive juggernaut in the Pacific Northwest in the form of the Seattle Kraken, who dented Nashville for seven goals on Tuesday and have 14 in four games, which puts them in the league's top half after they were 29th last season.

16. Pittsburgh Penguins

Previous Ranking: 17

Overall Record: 3-2-0

A milestone night for two of the NHL's best, as Sidney Crosby reached 1600 points and Evgeni Malkin hit the 500-goal plateau in Pittsburgh's 6-5 OT win over Buffalo on Wednesday night. Malkin is off to an outrageous start with 11 points in just five games played to lead the NHL.

14. (tie) Carolina Hurricanes

Previous Ranking: 9

Overall Record: 1-1-0

The recipe for the Hurricanes is simple but effective: limit opposition chances, play well in the net and score timely goals. They used it to perfection to earn a first win on Tuesday against New Jersey. Carolina allowed 25 shots and scored four times on 31 of its own.

14. (tie) Boston Bruins

Previous Ranking: 12

Overall Record: 3-2-0

New season, same Pasta. David Pastrňák is off to a fast start with four goals in five games, including a marker in the Bruins' 5-3 win over the surprisingly struggling Avalanche on Wednesday night. Boston's only two losses so far have been to the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers.

13. Los Angeles Kings

Previous Ranking: 15

Overall Record: 1-1-2

The Kings are struggling with injuries to key players. After losing Drew Doughty in the preseason, starting goalie Darcy Kuemper is now day-to-day with an injury. LA has given up 14 goals in its last two games and will be desperately looking to tighten defensively.

12. Ottawa Senators

Previous Ranking: 20

Overall Record: 2-1-0

It's been a while since he was healthy, so 25-year-old forward Josh Norris reminds people what he's capable of. He's got two goals and two assists so far and hopes to stay in the lineup long enough to replicate the career-best 35 goals he netted in 2021-22.

11. Minnesota Wild

Previous Ranking: 22

Overall Record: 2-0-2

Winger Kirill Kaprizov has scored 40 or more goals in each of the last three seasons, but he's indulging his play-making side through four games with five assists. The 27-year-old's career-best assist total was 61 and came alongside a personal-best 47 goals in 2021-22.

10. New Jersey Devils

Previous Ranking: 8

Overall Record: 4-2-0

The Devils are viewed by many as a legit Eastern Conference contender and four wins in six games back that up, but a 4-2 loss to fellow power Carolina had coach Sheldon Keefe concerned. "[They're] an elite forechecking team," he said. "It was a real struggle for us."

9. Florida Panthers

Previous Ranking: 2

Overall Record: 3-2-0

The Panthers split a four-game road trip, but it's at least something of a moral victory given they played the final three of those games without both captain Aleksander Barkov (lower-body injury) and spark plug Matthew Tkachuk (illness) and won two of them.

8. Toronto Maple Leafs

Previous Ranking: 7

Overall Record: 3-1-0

Some eyebrows were raised when new captain Auston Matthews went the first three games without a goal, but the Leafs star scored his first of the season in Wednesday night's win over the Kings. Anthony Stolarz has been a revelation in goal for Toronto, posting a 2-1-0 record with a sparkling .940 save percentage.

7. Tampa Bay Lightning

Previous Ranking: 13

Overall Record: 2-0-0

It's way early, but it's hardly bad news for the Lightning that they entered Wednesday's games as one of just four teams—alongside Calgary, Dallas and Winnipeg—without a loss. Tampa Bay allowed just two goals on 48 shots against Vancouver and Carolina.

6. Utah Hockey Club

Previous Ranking: 21

Overall Record: 3-2-0

After opening the season with three straight wins, Utah has come back down to Earth with back-to-back road defeats to New Jersey and Anaheim. Dylan Guenther still leads the NHL with five goals.

5. Vegas Golden Knights

Previous Ranking: 11

Overall Record: 3-1-0

They didn't complete a Cup repeat in 2023-24, but the Golden Knights are giving early indications of a run at two titles in three years thanks to a strong start. Vegas scored 15 goals while allowing just eight in three wins before dropping a 4-2 decision at Washington.

4. New York Rangers

Previous Ranking: 4

Overall Record: 2-0-1

Artemi Panarin had three multi-point games and Igor Shesterkin allowed zero or one goal in two of three starts for the Rangers, who grabbed five of a possible six standings points to begin their Presidents' Trophy defense. Panarin's seven points are one off the league lead.

3. Winnipeg Jets

Previous Ranking: 14

Overall Record: 3-0-0

While it's true these Jets only trace back to 1999 in Atlanta, it's no less impressive that a 3-0-0 start is the best in franchise history. "There's no give up, no quit in this group," forward Kyle Connor said. "No matter what it is, we're sticking to the same game plan we're calling."

2. Calgary Flames

Previous Ranking: 29

Overall Record: 4-0-0

Jacob Markstrom is off to New Jersey, but the Calgary tandem of Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar is doing just fine in his absence. The pair has stopped 112 of 122 shots through four games—a .918 save percentage—while the offense has netted a league-best 19 goals.

1. Dallas Stars

Previous Ranking: 1

Overall Record: 4-0-0

Some teams have underperformed, while others have overperformed. But the Stars are pretty much where everyone expected them to be through four games, having allowed just five goals. If Jake Oettinger maintains a .948 save percentage or 1.63 goals-against average for the long term, it's going to be quite a 2024-25 season in Dallas.