If you’re wondering why the rankings seem static from last week, it’s because they largely are.The top teams may have traded a place or two but they’re still at the top. Those at the bottom are bunking in for the winter. If anything, the expected fall of the Vegas Golden Knights or New Jersey Devils has not arrived.

Will that fall actually come? Maybe it will or maybe it won’t, but the Knights and Devils continue to be two of the great surprising stories for a league that can always use some.

Gary Bettman wanted a competitive team right away in Las Vegas and he’s got one. Put a good coach – Gerard Gallant – with a chip on his shoulder (Hi, Florida!) on a team full of players with chips on theirs and you’ve got a new headliner playing in the desert. (Records in parentheses are as of Sunday’s games).

1. Blues (17-6-1): The top line of Jaden Schwartz-Brayden Schenn-Vladimir Tarasenko has been nearly unstoppable. Try 35 goals and 55 assists in 24 games. (2).

2. Predators (14-6-3): Just one regulation loss in their past 11. Once again getting offense from the blue line as Roman Josi, P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm have a combined 14 goals. (3)

3. Lightning (16-5-2): Now past the quarter mark, they’re facing their first mini-slump of the season with three losses in their past four. Many others would take that in a heartbeat. (1)

4. Blue Jackets (15-7-1): No team has scored more than two goals against these guys since Carolina got three Nov. 10. That’s one way to have a six-game winning streak, currently the NHL’s longest. (5)

5. Maple Leafs (15-9-1): Not the best week with two regulation home losses and a shutout defeat, but Patrick Marleau has nine goals and 16 points. Think the Ducks can use that? (4)

6. Golden Knights (15-6-1): Jonathan Marchessault is hot with four goals and seven assists in their five-game winning streak. Florida left the 30-goal scorer unprotected in expansion draft. Yeesh. (8)

7. Jets (14-6-3): Couldn’t finish off a California sweep in falling at San Jose, but there’s consistency that hasn’t been there before. Only back-to-back regulation losses came in first two games. (6)

8. Devils (14-5-4): When have you associated this group with exciting hockey? Not ready to buy in as a top contender in the East, but John Hynes is doing a heck of a job. (10)

9. Sharks (12-8-2): Brent Burns finally broke through in the goal column after not scoring in the first 20 games. Logan Couture (13 goals) isn’t having such a drought. (9)

10. Kings (13-8-3): Clutch goal from Dustin Brown and shootout-deciding score Trevor Lewis to beat Anaheim put an end to bad 1-6-1 run. Now the road looms. (7)

11. Flames (13-9-1): Johnny Gaudreau has 11 multi-point games in the 23 he has played. That’s nearly half of the time for you math majors. (12)

12. Islanders (14-7-2): Not crazy about Thomas Greiss (.903 SV%) or Jaroslav Halak (.903 SV%) over the long haul, but the Isles can score and Mathew Barzal is very much in the Calder Trophy race. (14)

13. Capitals (14-10-1): Alex Ovechkin is back atop the league goal-scoring race with 18 as he racked up five in a current three-game win streak, including Saturday’s hat trick in Toronto. (13)

14. Rangers (13-9-2): Steadily finding ways to win games and doing it without captain Ryan McDonagh, who has missed three because of an abdominal strain. (18)

15. Penguins (12-10-3): The schedule has been brutal, but the champs can’t seem to get things rolling. The minus-17 goal differential is fourth-worst in the NHL. (11)

16. Stars (12-10-1): Jekyll-and-Hyde team lights it up at home (3.73 goals per game) and can’t find the switch on the road (2.17 goals per game). (16)

17. Blackhawks (11-8-3): This isn’t the same explosive group of years past, but Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad did snap out of scoring funks in win at Florida. (17)

18. Wild (11-9-3): Nino Niederreiter has been scorching hot, but team’s outlook will improve once Charlie Coyle gets back up to speed after broken leg. (20)

19. Canucks (11-9-4): They’re 2-1-1 on a six-game trip. An 8-4-1 mark overall shows they don’t mind being away from Rogers Arena. (25)

20. Ducks (10-9-4): Next five games against top teams could be a springboard toward a brighter second half or bury them before the injured stars come back to lead the way. (19)

21. Senators (8-8-6): It took eight games for Matt Duchene to get his first goal for his new team. That snapped an 0-for-23 drought on the power play, a big part of their six-game losing streak. (15)

22. Avalanche (11-9-2): Former No. 1 overall Nail Yakupov is never going to become a star, but has seemed to find a role and some success in Denver. (22)

23. Red Wings (10-9-5): Hanging in there, but three overtime losses in past four could prove costly down the line. David Booth did get his first two-goal game since March 13, 2015, with Toronto. (21)

24. Hurricanes (10-8-4): Scott Darling (2.74 GAA, .901 SV%) is seeing what it’s like to go from the No. 2 goalie on a good team to the main man on an average one.(24)

25. Bruins (10-8-4): What has happened to Tuukka Rask? The 2014 Vezina Trophy winner has lost four consecutive starts and sports unsightly numbers (3-8-2, 2.91 GAA, .899 SV%). (26)

26. Flyers (8-9-6): A seven-game losing streak has seen them blow three two-goal leads and lose four times after regulation. Rebuilding on the fly is tough. (23)

27. Canadiens (9-12-3): As usual, they’ll have to rely on Carey Price digging them out of their mess, but a 36-save shutout of Buffalo in first game back from injury offers hope. (27)

28. Oilers (9-13-2): A win in Boston kept their trip from becoming disastrous, but the seat under Todd McLellan is heating up. Remember, these guys were picked by many to come out of the West. (28)

29. Panthers (8-12-2): Fullerton native and Rancho Santa Margarita resident Chase Balisy is trying to make the leap from the minors. Has gotten eight games with them and looking for his first NHL point. (29)

30. Coyotes (6-17-3): They’ve been better than their horrendous start, but it can’t look good to drop all meetings to an expansion team that could become a regional rival. (30)

31. Sabres (6-14-4): Tampa Bay is up next, followed by a home-and-home with Pittsburgh and then a road trip. It’s not going to get any better for Sabres fans, is it? (31)