Power rankings: The first month …

The Stanley Cup is not won in October – are you listening in San Jose and midtown Manhattan? – but confidence and good habits come from a strong start. Just as true is the opposite, it’s an uphill climb when a team gets behind the standings early. With that in mind, this week’s power rankings examine what was significant to each team during the opening month.

1. San Jose Sharks (10-2-0, Previous: 6) – Christian Ehrhoff’s emergence on the blue line doesn’t surprise insiders, but is rewarding to management, which stuck by his side when it was easy to give up. Ehrhoff is skating, competing hard, showing consistency and finally getting that bazooka of a shot on net (shortened backswing is helping).

2. Montreal Canadiens (8-1-1, Previous: 5) – The most significant event during the opening month was the Habs kept doing what worked last season. Speed, special teams, goaltending, it was all on display as Montreal earned 15 of a possible 18 points.

3. Buffalo Sabres (8-2-2, Previous: 2) – Talk all you want about the team no longer using departed free agents as an excuse, but the brightest October development is the play of winger Thomas Vanek. He scored seven goals in Buffalo’s first five games and finished with nine for the month, a pace that projects to 74 for the year.

4. Detroit Red Wings (8-2-2, Previous: 3) – How successful was the first month? Well, no Cup hangover. Marian Hossa assimilated quite nicely, thank you. Special teams were fabulous. Sixteen points earned out of a possible 22. And coach Mike Babcock said the team didn’t play the second half of the month all that well. And he’s right. Man, these guys are good.

5. New York Rangers (10-3-1, Previous: 4) – The biggest development in October is how quickly players accepted and excelled in new and sometimes expanded roles. No more Jaromir Jagr, no more Brendan Shanahan. With Brandon Dubinsky leading the way, the youngsters took another jump, and the recent acquisitions (Nikolai Zherdev especially) have fit right in.

6. Minnesota Wild (7-2-1, Previous: 1) – The Wild enjoyed first-month success, which seems to be a tradition under coach Jacques Lemaire. But there’s no doubt the franchise has a black cloud in the name of Marian Gaborik, difficult to sign and injured again.

7. Calgary Flames (7-4-1, Previous: 14) – The lesson learned here is don’t judge a team too quickly. Many were up in arms after the team lost back-to-back games to archrival Edmonton, but the Flames have rallied behind a slightly-faster starting Miikka Kiprusoff and Jarome Iginla’s leadership to calm the panic.

8. New Jersey Devils (6-3-2, Previous: 8) – Remember, the Martin Brodeur injury happened this month, so in October it was just more of the same – New Jersey playing Devils hockey by keeping goals-against to a minimum. Injuries to veterans reared its ugly head late in the month, and that’s worth watching.

9. Anaheim Ducks (7-5-1, Previous: 9) – The high amount of shots the team gave up in the season’s first month was mystifying. Could it be those veteran legs of Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger were getting a bit heavy? Probably more along the lines of needing a month to get back in the groove. Either way, the team’s strength – defense – was its weakness and GM Brian Burke made an adjustment to infuse another puck mover (Bret Hedican) into the mix as a result.

10. Pittsburgh Penguins (6-4-2, Previous: 7) – There’s no hiding the fact the team misses its top two offensive-minded defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney. It’s not all about piling up points and the power play, it’s about moving the puck out of the defensive zone so Marc-Andre Fleury isn’t under seige and all those talented forwards have energy to score instead of helping to clear the puck.

11. Boston Bruins (6-3-3, Previous: 10) – The Bruins didn’t completely avoid injuries in the first month (Chuck Kobasew is out again), but they had to be encouraged by the successful return of Patrice Bergeron and Manny Fernandez. Marc Savard also had a great opening month.

12. Carolina Hurricanes (6-3-2, Previous: 11) – Probably a bit inconsistent the way they went about it for coach Peter Laviolette’s tastes, but the Hurricanes earned 12 of a possible 18 points in the opening month, despite winning as many as two straight only once and that was at the very outset. Carolina liked to play ‘em close in October as five of its nine were one-goal games, three others decided by two included an empty-netter; even the one three-goal difference had an empty-netter.

13. Chicago Blackhawks (6-3-3, Previous: 17) – Has anyone ever won comeback player of the year without really going away? Well, of course, but you know what we mean in terms of goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who was dangled more because of salary cap issues than his potential help to the Hawks. When no one bit he had a second life and he’s made the most of it in Chicago so far.

14. Edmonton Oilers (6-4-1, Previous: 20) – The Oilers need Sam Gagne to avoid the sophomore jinx. Unfortunately, he got out of the gate slowly as no goals and one assist in eight games would suggest. “Opposing players are on him quicker,” coach Craig MacTavish said. “They know he can make plays and the ice is closing up for him.” But at least Gagne hasn’t lost his sense of humor. “I’m only two goals behind [Alexander] Ovechkin,” he cracked.

15. Philadelphia Flyers (4-4-3, Previous: 18) – The first month was a bit scary for Flyers fans as the team didn’t resemble anything it showed last season. Injuries on defense had the biggest impact, but a very positive story came out of October – the successful and productive return of Simon Gagne to the lineup.

16. Ottawa Senators (4-5-2, Previous: 19) – You can’t underscore the importance of solid goaltending enough nowadays, and to that end the projected backup (Alex Auld) outplayed the incumbent starter (Martin Gerber). Are the two of them going to be good enough over the long haul?

17. Washington Capitals (5-4-1, Previous: 12) – It was all about Alexander in October, but not the one everyone would have expected. It’s not a bad thing either, because you’ve got to figure it’s just a matter of time before Ovechkin goes on a goal-scoring binge, but it’s even better for the Caps if Semin breaks through because no team goes it alone.

18. Vancouver Canucks (6-6-0, Previous: 16) – Remember those preseason suggestions that the Canucks would be a one-line team at best? Well, they might not even be that. Steve Bernier was the designated winger early for the Sedin twins, but Mason Raymond was the latest experiment late. The line doesn’t have enough size to compete in the West night-in and night-out. Support? Pavol Demitra was lost for a month due to injury. Problems.

19. Toronto Maple Leafs (5-4-3, Previous: 21) – The biggest plus from the first month isn’t necessarily a 4-3-3 record, but the fact the team, organization – and maybe just as significantly the rooting masses and microscopic-probing media – have all bought into coach Ron Wilson’s hard-work-or-you-don’t-play edict. No one can accuse the Leafs for lacking in entertainment, too.

20. Nashville Predators (6-4-1, Previous: 23) – It’s more of the same in Music City. Every year it looks like the Predators are starting behind the 8-ball and somehow they find a way to overcome adversity. This offseason it was the shocking loss of rising star Alexander Radulov to the new Russian league, but look what Nashville did in October – it produced a winning record and was right in the race.

21. Colorado Avalanche (5-7-0, Previous: 13) – If October was supposed to provide the answer if the Avs have adequate goaltending then that answer is no. Peter Budaj and Andrew Raycroft did not stop even 90 percent of the shots in the season’s opening month, and that’s the bare minimum these days.

22. Tampa Bay Lightning (4-3-3, Previous: 29) – For all the criticism they took and for all of the shuffling that was necessary due to defensive deficiencies, the Bolts finished the first month with a 3-3-3 record, and that’s a bit of a stepping stone for coach Barry Melrose and his team.

23. St. Louis Blues (5-5-0, Previous: 15) – A red-hot power play overshadowed an outstanding effort on the penalty kill and Keith Tkachuk’s resurgence after moving from center to wing highlighted the first month. That helped to offset the injury bug that struck in goal and to young defenseman Erik Johnson.

24. Phoenix Coyotes (4-5-0, Previous: 24) – This is a young team that hopes to improve its consistency. That is no more important than in goal where Ilya Bryzgalov was up and down the first month. Asked how he felt returning after playing backup in consecutive games, he said “Three hundred Spartans. We go to the Hot Gate, we march – brothers, fathers – we march,” referring to the movie “300”. Ooookaaaay.

25. Florida Panthers (4-6-1, Previous: 22) – The team spent the first month getting to know Peter DeBoer and the rookie head coach got to know his team, which continued the trend of allowing too many shots per game, not showing a whole lot on the power play but earning enough points to basically have a .500 month.

26. Dallas Stars (4-6-2, Previous: 25) – Co-GM Brett Hull doesn’t mind seeing his team provide more entertainment, but letting in so many goals during the first month isn’t what he had in mind. The Stars acted like they missed Sergei Zubov a whole lot and forgot how to communicate in the defensive zone.

27. Los Angeles Kings (3-6-1, Previous: 26) – Without a doubt the play of youngsters Drew Doughty on defense and Oscar Moller up front were a pleasant surprise in the season’s opening month. Losing Jack Johnson to injury was a disappointment.

28. Columbus Blue Jackets (4-6-2, Previous: 28) – The power play produced just one goal the second half of the month. Should-have-been All-Star goalie Pascal Leclaire got hurt. A true top center has yet to emerge. And fans are staying away in droves in Columbus. Not the start the Blue Jackets would have liked.

29. New York Islanders (3-7-1, Previous: 30) – No doubt about it, the on-going health issues for franchise goalie Rick DiPietro are crippling this team just like the out-of-date building they play in. Knee surgery will keep DiPietro out for at least 4-6 weeks. The Isles are in more trouble early than anyone.

30. Atlanta Thrashers (3-7-2, Previous: 27) – Disaster. And rookie head coach John Anderson deserves better. He has an up-tempo system he’d love to see executed, but he can only do so much with what he’s been dealt. Ilya Kovalchuk was a lot quieter in October than the franchise would have liked.