Power Rankings: Wings always seem to fly high

Updated Oct. 29

No matter what happens in the NHL, be it a new economic model, a new wide-open style of play or a new emphasis on youth, the Detroit Red Wings always seem to find a way to remain among the elite.

Henrik Zetterberg already has 21 points for the season. (AP)

The Red Wings may not be the best team in the league right now -- from this corner it looks like that distinction still belongs to the Ottawa Senators -- but Detroit is very close and clearly the class of the Western Conference so far. The Red Wings are getting great production from their No. 1 line led by Henrik Zetterberg, the kind of defense that has them ranked near the top in the fewest shots allowed category and they've been absolutely dominant in the faceoff circle.

And Detroit is on a five-game winning streak that has lifted the team past Ottawa for first place overall in the league, although they've played two more games.

The Red Wings have also moved up in our power rankings this week, but they're not the only ones. The Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets have both shown dramatic improvement in their games, particularly on defense, since the season began and have jumped significantly. Back East, the Montreal Canadiens have been riding an amazing power play to help them climb the ladder as well, while the Buffalo Sabres finally found a way to win on the road and maybe get their game in gear.

It hasn't been all good though, especially for teams headed in the other direction like the Rangers and Penguins in the East and the Sharks and defending Stanley Cup champion Ducks in the West. There is a lot of talent on all those teams, but so far it has not done much for them on the ice.

Of course, there's still a long way to go. Here are the rankings for this week.

RANK	TEAM		MOVE (LW)