Sid the Kid propels young Penguins into the top 10

Note: All statistics are through Sunday.

BIGGEST CLIMB: Pittsburgh (16 to 9)
BIGGEST FALL: N.Y. Rangers (12 to 17)

NHL Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 Buffalo Sabres (10-0-1) Let's face it: The Sabres weren't going to go 82-0. After tying the NHL record with their 10th straight victory to begin the season, Buffalo ran into a white-hot Atlanta squad that capitalized on sloppy play. "I haven't felt like this in a while," Ryan Miller said following the loss. "I'm a little ticked off." The Sabres and the Thrashers entered the game with the best combined record (17-1-3) for any two teams in any game in NHL history (minimum of 10 games played by each). Don't expect the loss to slow the Buffalo express. Last Week: 2-0-1 2 3 Anaheim Ducks (8-0-3) Stop the presses! For the first time this season, the Ducks managed to score more than four goals in a game. In a rematch of the last season's Western Conference Final, the Ducks hammered the Oilers 6-2. The victory had to be especially sweet for ex-Oiler Chris Pronger, who notched three helpers. Just goes to show you how important a rock-solid defense and stellar goaltending are in the New NHL. And those two facets have helped the Ducks jump out to the best start in franchise history. Last Week: 2-0-1 3 2 Dallas Stars (9-2-0) Leave it to the old veteran to help spark the Stars' best start since 1971. In just 11 games, 36-year-old Mike Modano already has seven goals -- the quickest he's reached seven scores since 1997-98. With a decent penalty-kill unit (ranked 6th) and a below-average power play (16th), how does this team keep winning? "No matter what we do sometimes, we look like the Keystone Kops out there," said coach Dave Tippett. "But luckily we do enough to win." Last Week: 2-1-0 4 5 Atlanta Thrashers (8-1-3) Just call them the league's giant killers after handing Buffalo its first blemish. With the huge win over the Sabres, the Thrashers are off to the best start in their history. In contrast, Atlanta didn't earn its eighth victory last season until its 19th game. But there might be cause for concern. After going 5-for-7 on the PP Monday, the Thrashers have gone cold (0-for-10 over their last three games). Last Week: 2-0-2 5 4 Minnesota Wild (9-2-0) To understand why the Wild is winning, look no further than the defense. With Manny Fernandez in net for every game, Minnesota has allowed just 21 goals in 11 games, and its top-ranked PK unit killed off 16 of 17 penalties in the last three contests. But the next 10 games will be a real measuring stick. The Wild, which has won all seven of its home games, will play seven of its next 10 on the road (Vancouver and Nashville this week). Last Week: 2-1-0 6 8 Nashville Predators (6-3-1) The Preds are beginning to look more like last season's 49-win squad. After opening the season with three losses, Nashville has picked up points in its last seven games (6-0-1) and is tied with the Red Wings for first place in the Central. Equally impressive is the fact that the Preds' two wins last week were against Western favorites in San Jose and Calgary. Despite their recent surge, the Preds need to find a way to get their 28th-ranked penalty kill on track. Last Week: 2-0-0 7 6 San Jose Sharks (8-4-0) Thank you, Tampa Bay. If not for a 4-2 win over the Lightning on Sunday night, the Sharks would've earned their first three-game regular-season losing streak since acquiring Joe Thornton on Nov. 30, 2005. The Sharks relied on their top-ranked PP, which converted two of three chances. "We have the best power play in the league, so maybe the memo's gone out and the referees are not going to give us power plays, to see if we can figure out another way to win," coach Ron Wilson said. Last Week: 2-2-0 8 7 Edmonton Oilers (7-4-0) The Oilers may have found a new scoring line. The Ales Hemsky-Petr Sykora-Patrick Thoresen line combined for 10 points in Monday's 5-2 thrashing of the Coyotes. More good news: Fernando Pisani, who inked a four-year, $10 million deal last spring, earned his first point of the season in Thursday's win. But one fact may have Oilers fans a bit concerned: the team is 6-0 at home but just 1-4 away from Rexall Place. Last Week: 2-2-0 9 16 Pittsburgh Penguins (6-3-0) Things are firing on all cylinders in Pittsburgh. Behind Sidney Crosby's first career hat trick, the Pens hammered the Flyers 8-2 for their fourth straight victory -- their longest win streak in more than two years. In addition to Crosby, rookie Evgeni Malkin is making some serious waves. Malkin became the first NHL'er to score in each of his first five games since the Rangers' Steven King in 1992. With a plethora of young offensive weapons, its no wonder the Penguins have the fourth-ranked PP. Last Week: 2-0-0 10 9 Montreal Canadiens (5-2-3) Behind a strong effort from netminder Cristobal Huet, the Canadiens again beat the Bruins 3-2 on Thursday. Andrei Markov scored the game-winner with 1.2 seconds left, prompting Bruins fans to litter the ice with garbage. "It was a huge win," Saku Koivu said. "It feels a lot bigger when you steal it in the last few seconds." Montreal has won eight of nine against its longtime rival, including six straight. The Habs' early success can be attributed to special teams, ranked third in both PK and PP. Last Week: 1-1-1

Read on for teams 11-20 ...