Chicago Blackhawks (2-0-0, 4 pts)
When you beat the defending Stanley Cup champions 10-1 in your opening game, heads are going to turn. Granted, they did catch Sidney Crosby and crew on the second night of a back-to-back, but it was still impressive. Follow that up with a decisive 5-1 win against Columbus for a +13 goal differential through two games and you have your No. 1 team in the West. I criticized Chicago’s management for being held hostage by their salary cap woes when they were forced to trade Artemi Panarin for an older version of Brandon Saad.
I still think long-term that move will cost them but with the Blackhawks, if old habits die hard, it wasn’t going to be this past week. It is easy to overreact and I have major question marks about the longevity of this roster, but for now and it really pains me to say it, they have earned the top spot. Patrick Kane is off to another torrential start with two goals and four assists and if he emerges as the Hart Memorial Trophy winner at the end of the year, then his team could well find themselves in the middle of yet another Western Conference Finals run.