Jack Hughes and the whole Devils squad look ready to follow up last year’s injuries and disappointments with a serious playoff run. Hughes recently netted his third career hat trick, Jesper Bratt looks primed for a career season, and they’re doing it all with an injured Jacob Markstrom.
Second-Placed Team: Hurricanes
The Hurricanes look great as expected to start the season, despite the task of a long, West Coast road trip right off the bat. Again, it’s early in the season, so we really can’t take every win or loss to heart. But their performance against the Golden Knights earned them the No. 2 spot instead of the No. 1 spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Third-Placed Team: Rangers
Look, the Rangers have had a tough start to the season, as reflected in their record, especially at home. But anyone watching knows the team looks much better than its 3-5-1 would indicate. The chances are there for the Rangers, and they’ve been winning battles consistently — especially at even strength. They’ve got to put it all together and make it count on the scoresheet, but their play suggests they’ll get there; they’ve just been running into some super-hot goalies and some new team growing pains. Igor Shesterkin is the best goaltender in the league right now, and if he can hang on and keep the team in it, it will pay off.