The Pittsburgh Penguins are on their way back to non-embarrassing form, the Edmonton Oilers are struggling to look anything like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and the Toronto Maple Leafs are making sure the league doesn't forget how much of a game changer that Auston Matthews really is.

It's a new week, and that means it's time for another edition of our 2017-18 NHL Power Rankings. I'm sure it will be a pecking order readers wholeheartedly endorse.

To some of our readers' credit, the Penguins probably never should've retained a top-five spot after their 10-1 debacle of a loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, so even their recent on-ice improvement appears in this week's edition as a demotion to the middle of the pack. Right now, that's exactly what they are -- a defending title team that's starting to get a grip on things but hasn't looked elite yet.

The Maple Leafs, on the other hand, are as real as they come, at least according to this young season's results. So, too, apparently, are the Ottawa Senators, who have piled up goals as of late and appear as one of several new top-10 teams.

Biggest Movers
21 Avalanche
22 Oilers
Rk
Teams
  
Chg
Rcrd
1 Maple Leafs Auston Matthews. That is all. 4 46-26-10
2 Blackhawks They're still winning and they've outscored the rest of the league, but their power-play group needs a lot of work. 1 23-53-6
3 Blue Jackets Another week, another good showing of Artemi Panarin. 5 27-43-12
4 Senators Who are they? Not a team that only relies on an aging Craig Anderson. Their last two games: 12 goals against one allowed. If they can get that kind of production down the stretch, maybe they will get back to the playoffs. 15 37-41-4
5 Lightning The return of Steven Stamkos: Tampa Bay's last three wins have been vs. the Capitals, Penguins and Blues. 2 45-29-8
6 Devils Their goal differential is third best in the league. Think about that. 20 38-39-5
7 Kings Jonathan Quick is on his game as the headliner of a dominant defense, and Dustin Brown is on fire. Maybe we were very, very wrong about them. 9 44-27-11
8 Flyers So these guys aren't taking any prisoners ... when they're on their game. A combined 16 goals in their last three outings says it all. 9 38-33-11
9 Blues Considering the injuries they had to overcome, they're as competitive as they come. Vladimir Tarasenko continues to shine. 2 43-33-6
10 Avalanche Yes, really. And they could be higher. Matt Duchene has been awesome, which is good for Colorado in many ways. Let's see how long this lasts. 21 50-25-7
11 Red Wings It's still hard to believe they're sitting as pretty as they are, but some tough sledding awaits vs. the Lightning, Maple Leafs and Capitals. 18 41-32-9
12 Penguins Don't be fooled by their big drop from up top. In fact, if anything, consider them on the rise. The defense is still surrendering too many shots, but Sidney Crosby is still superhuman and the Pens are always a threat to go off. 10 38-32-12
13 Capitals How fitting of the Capitals to race out in historic fashion with monster numbers from Alex Ovechkin, then fall to the Penguins and give up eight to the Flyers. 7 40-31-11
14 Golden Knights Losing Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonathan Marchessault for a while is going to hurt. 16 45-29-8
15 Flames If enigmatic is what they're going for, they're succeeding. 5 38-39-5
16 Jets We're seeing the spark. Reeling off three straight early on doesn't mean much, but it does showcase their youthful scoring touch. 5 52-24-6
17 Predators You could argue they were better than Chicago in their last bout with the Blackhawks. This club is only going to rise as the year goes on. 8 47-30-5
18 Panthers Give them credit for edging or sticking with plenty of superiors. Bob Boughner has them chipping at contenders. 6 52-24-6
19 Wild Still a lot to sort out here, including the pieces of Marcus Foligno's jaw. 7 39-34-9
20 Stars They will be fine. The offseason hype was always going to cloud their season, but Tyler Seguin's 'Gordie Howe Hat Trick' should mark a steady march upward. -- 52-21-9
21 Hurricanes Scott Darling was a solid addition, but he can't win these games himself. 8 52-23-7
22 Islanders Keep doin' your thing, Thomas Greiss. -- 39-27-16
23 Bruins Blowing out Arizona was a confidence builder, but the Bruins really needed one after some pitiful outings vs. the Avs. 9 47-20-15
24 Ducks Banged up and undisciplined in their loss to Colorado, they've only beaten mediocre teams to this point. 20 27-50-5
25 Oilers Just waiting for them to look anything like a Cup contender. And it's time to be concerned about Cam Talbot. 22 49-27-6
26 Canucks Even the fans who saw a thrilling opener aren't showing up anymore. 2 50-23-9
27 Sharks It's going to be a long season. Defensively, they'll balance things out, but who's going to score? 2 19-54-9
28 Rangers Kevin Shattenkirk took a discount to come 'home,' but was even his discounted price too hefty? The Rangers are all but treating it as such. 10 55-23-4
29 Canadiens Even Carey Price isn't looking like Carey Price. This won't last insanely long, will it? 14 30-36-16
30 Sabres At least Jack Eichel got paid. 7 39-37-6
31 Coyotes The only thing scarier than their horrendous start? The rest of their October schedule. 4 36-41-5