Sometimes life doesn't go as anticipated. Neither does a hockey season. We're one month into the 2019-20 NHL season and already teams are in recalibration mode thanks to surprising starts -- both good and bad (ahem, San Jose).
For this week's ESPN NHL Power Rankings, we assessed how preseason expectations match the reality after the first month.
How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits polls ranking teams 1-31, and those results are tabulated to the list featured here. Teams are rated through Tuesday night's games, taking into account overall record, recent success and other factors such as injuries.