12. New York Islanders
The Islanders have broken into the top 12 for the first time this season with a spot at number 12. This is a big jump from where they started the season at 23. The Islanders have been one of the top teams in the league as of late as they have an 11-6-0 record. I think the only knock against them from this past week was losing to the Arizona Coyotes. However, they did beat the Blue Jackets, Senators and Rangers.
11. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning do not need to be in the top five or even the top ten this year. All they need to do is make the playoffs and then they can show how good they are. The team followed a tough 5-1 loss to the Capitals in Washington up with a 6-3 win against the same team at home, showing they can bounce back when things get tough.
10. Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken look poised to be a lot better this season as they have been through the first month of the season. Seattle has an 8-5-3 record and while they have lost their last two games, they won their previous five before that against some good teams like Pittsburgh, Calgary and Nashville.
9. Los Angeles Kings
The Kings have managed to stay competitive despite the struggles of a lot of teams that took big steps forward last year, like Calgary and New York. The Kings look like a real threat in the Pacific Division, while Vegas is the top team around, LA very well could be that second team in.