The NHL had no shortage of big moments to welcome in the 2017-18 season, from the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions getting absolutely throttled by the old guard of the Western Conference to the league's newest franchise uniting with opponents across the ice in honor of the Las Vegas shooting victims.

There was also some historic hat trick magic, from four different players scoring at least three goals in their respective openers and Washington Capitals stud Alex Ovechkin logging back-to-back hat tricks with four goals against the Montreal Canadiens -- two feats that had not been achieved in 100 years.

But it's on to the next one, as they say, after a wild opening week. And that means it's on to the next edition of our NHL power rankings, our rundown of all 31 teams and a weekly opportunity for you to question our eyesight.

Keep in mind here that, only a few games into the season, it's no easy task deciphering which teams actually deserve the credit their performances might normally command. The Pittsburgh Penguins, for example, have dropped out of the No. 1 spot in no time, and while they remain the obvious favorites out of the Eastern Conference after back-to-back titles, how in the world could we have slotted them ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks after Brandon Saad and Co. ripped them shred for shred?

This is where we're at, though. Some, like the Pens, have fallen but retained their status among the league's best. Others, like the post-Patrick Marleau San Jose Sharks, have not been so fortunate. With a week down and many more to come, here's a look up and down the NHL:

Biggest Movers
7 Blackhawks
6 Senators
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1 Blackhawks The first reminder that these rankings change on a weekly basis: Chicago, which has months to lose its footing and a long way to go before unseating the repeat champs. Still, you don't top the Penguins 10-1 (!) and then roll over the Blue Jackets 5-1 without shooting up the board. What a start for the nostalgic bunch. 7 23-53-6
2 Penguins Some will say they still deserve No. 1. Others will say they deserve to be near the bottom after their embarrassing loss to Chicago. The reality is Pittsburgh remains a favorite in the Eastern Conference. Matt Murray's shutout vs. Nashville was a nice rebound from a shaky start. 1 38-32-12
3 Oilers Connor McDavid skates like no other. This man alone makes the Oilers must-watch TV. 1 49-27-6
4 Ducks Their defense remains a force to be reckoned with. Oh, and John Gibson isn't afraid to fight. 1 27-50-5
5 Maple Leafs Did we understate the Maple Leafs' scoring potential entering the year? It's quite possible. They're locked and loaded. 5 46-26-10
6 Capitals Yes, it's early. But isn't it peak Capitals to come out and win in historic fashion -- Alex Ovechkin is playing lights out -- the year that they're, for once, not expected to do as much damage? 6 40-31-11
7 Lightning The one thing we all knew they'd do (score plenty of goals), they're doing. This team should only get better over the course of the season. 2 45-29-8
8 Blue Jackets Artemi Panarin looks like he's fitting in already. 2 27-43-12
9 Predators Tough start for the defending conference champs. Getting back to Bridgestone Arena should help. And so should any offensive upgrades courtesy of the front office. 5 47-30-5
10 Flames The Pacific Division is going to be a thriller this year. The Jaromir Jagr show is just getting started, too. 1 38-39-5
11 Blues Sorry for sleeping on you, St. Louis. (Another note to self: We've got a long way to go.) Still, what a start for the club to edge the defending champs and then outdo the hyped-up Stars. 5 43-33-6
12 Wild They'll be fine in the long run, and they came super close to stealing one vs. Carolina, but all of a sudden it's time to start thinking about the Blackhawks again, isn't it? 5 39-33-10
13 Hurricanes We can already see a little bit of that extra juice that came in the form of their offseason haul of veterans. Putting up five in their opener was a solid start. 4 52-23-7
14 Bruins Don't count out their gritty blue line. Topping Nashville was a confidence booster to start the year. 5 47-20-15
15 Canadiens One of the early victims of Ovechkin's tear, at least they got instant contributions from Jonathan Drouin. They're kind of a boom-or-bust candidate, and you could argue they should be swapped with the Rangers. 4 30-36-16
16 Kings How about the Kings allowing just one goal in their first two outings? Something says their win over San Jose won't look quite as good by season's end (because of the Sharks, not them), but they're still off to a better-than-expected start. 7 44-27-11
17 Flyers Time to give Wayne Simmonds the credit he has long deserved. 4 38-33-11
18 Rangers The season-long question: How long -- or how much -- can they rely on Henrik Lundqvist? A shutout vs. the Habs was nice, but the Canadiens also got shut down by the Caps. 3 55-23-4
19 Senators You can't deny their grit from a season ago. But they were primed for a step back. 6 37-41-4
20 Stars It's certainly not time to abandon ship, but Ben Bishop's concussion scare was a scare indeed. And Dallas dropping its first two, including one to Vegas, wasn't the best of starts. 6 52-21-9
21 Jets There's lots to like about their long-term offensive potential, but Steve Mason has looked far from sturdy in his Jets debut. Thirteen goals allowed through two games is second worst in the NHL. 3 52-24-6
22 Islanders It's going to take some time before we take them seriously. -- 39-27-16
23 Sabres They're better than their 0-1-1 start indicates, if that means anything to anyone. Jack Eichel is paid, and this unit should be on the upswing over the long haul. 2 39-37-6
24 Panthers Credit them for edging a superior team in the Lightning. Like most teams, though, they're hard to judge so early on. 2 52-24-6
25 Sharks Big dive for the Sharks here (see what I did there?). But on top of a summer that set them up for a step back came an even more disjointed start. Their minus-five goal differential and 0-0-2 kickoff is among the league's worst. 5 19-54-9
26 Devils The promise of Nico Hischier and their long-awaited youth movement makes them way more intriguing than their ranking, but they've still got a ways to go before competing. 1 38-39-5
27 Coyotes Tough call here. Under Rick Tocchet, they haven't been completely awful. But they're also a mixed bag that couldn't score more than one against Vegas. 3 36-41-5
28 Canucks Are they rebuilding or not? We'll find out more around the deadline. -- 50-23-9
29 Red Wings Like the Devils, they warrant more respect than their ranking because of the momentum. It's going to take some time to buy into their comeback, though. -- 41-32-9
30 Golden Knights If the season ended today, the Golden Knights would be in the playoffs, and they'd be a top seed. Dumb statement? Maybe. But Vegas couldn't have opened in a better way, showcasing Marc-Andre Fleury and uniting in the wake of the city's tragedy. -- 45-29-8
31 Avalanche Keep on scoring, Matt Duchene. Maybe you'll finally get dealt. -- 50-25-7