It’s been about three months since the Stanley Cup Finals concluded, and the two participants are headed in wildly different directions. The Anaheim Ducks are reeling out of the gate, and the natural conclusion is that the absences of Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne (both are pondering retirement) are the primary reasons behind the slump. And, of course, there’s the popular theory about Stanley Cup hangovers. But there’s another, more salient, justification for their struggles.

The Ducks began their season in London with a two-game series against the much-improved Los Angeles Kings. And they followed that up by playing three more road games in four nights. No team should be expected to thrive under such circumstances, but especially not the Stanley Cup champions, not after such a short off-season.

In sharp contrast, the Ducks’ opponents in the Finals, the Ottawa Senators, have gotten off to a white-hot start, winning their first four games and quickly emerging as the NHL’s best team through the first week of play. But before we prematurely award the Sens the Cup, it’s important to note that they’ve played three of their four games at home and have been the beneficiaries of an early home-and-home series against the hapless Toronto Maple Leafs.

Now, the Sens certainly have a score to settle following a very disappointing Cup Finals performance, and unlike the Ducks, they didn’t spend most of the summer celebrating with Lord Stanley’s chalice. Instead, they had a long three months to ponder just how close they came to hockey immortality, as good a reason as any to explain their quick burst out of the starting gate.

So here’s how the teams line up this week. Statistically, teams are measured from left to right by W–L–OTL, goals scored, and goals allowed. Please note that the data is up to and including games played on Tuesday night. Each team’s ranking at the end of the 2006–07 season appears in parentheses.

1 OTTAWA SENATORS ( 9 ) : Captain Daniel Alfredsson has been the catalyst for the Sens’ offense thus far, tallying eight points in his first four games (including five goals). And gritty winger Chris Neil has provided the snarl, racking 21 penalty minutes.

4–0–0 13 7

2 SAN JOSE SHARKS (8): The Sharks have had some difficulty lighting the lamp in the early going, sparking speculation that they will soon sign offensive defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh to a contract, much as the Islanders did with Bryan Berard.

1–1–1 7 9

3 NEW YORK RANGERS (14): At $3 million per season, Paul Mara’s a cap . the talented rearguard cannot earn a regular spot in the lineup, a demotion to Hartford (à la Darius Kasparaitis) is a distinct possibility.

1–1–0 5 4

4 DETROIT RED WINGS (2): The Wings have picked up right where they left off last season, severely reducing the number of shots goalie Dominik Hasek faces (a league-low 20.7 per game) in order to ensure that he’ll be fresh for the postseason.

2–0–1 9 7

5. CALGARY FLAMES (12): Former Flame Rob Ramage was guilty yesterday impaired driving causing death (as well as four other charges) in connection with a wreck that killed former Chicago Blackhawks star Keith Magnuson on December 15, 2003.

0–1–1 5 7

6 WASHINGTON CAPITALS (27): It was mission critical for Alexander Ovechkin and the Caps to get off to a strong start, and they’ve done just that. Look for this young, up-and-coming team to emerge as the cream of the Southeast Division. 3–0–0 7 2

7 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (7): Free agent signee Petr Sykora has landed in the perfect spot, on a line with talented playmaker Evgeni Malkin and grinder Georges Laraque. Finally free to play his speed-driven perimeter game, Sykora should thrive in the Steel City.

1–1–0 6 8

8. ANAHEIM DUCKS (4): Should Niedermayer and Selanne return at mid-season, the defending champs will again compete for the Cup. But without them, the Ducks just might follow in the Hurricanes’ shoes, winning the Cup and then missing the playoffs.

1–3–1 11 16

9 VANCOUVER CANUCKS (5): The Canucks are expecting a breakout campaign from Ryan Kesler. The talented center missed most of last season with a hip injury but is now back to full strength and playing on a line with captain Markus Naslund.

1–1–0 5 6

10 MINNESOTA WILD (11): The Wild are looking strong in the early going, and the best news of all is that for the first time in franchise history, their scoring success isn’t entirely predicated on the health of oft-injured winger Marian Gaborik.

2–0–0 4 2

11 NASHVILLE PREDATORS (3): Center David Legwand has officially arrived as a top-tier NHLer. Last season, he posted an impressive plus-23 rating. And on Monday night, his hat trick led the Preds to a decisive victory over the Stars.

2–0–0 9 1

12 DALLAS STARS (6): Entering last night’s game against the Kings, center Mike Modano was just five points shy of tying Phil Housley’s record for the most points ever by an American-born player with 1,232.

1–2–0 8 10

13 CAROLINA HURRICANES (20): Now 25 pounds lighter after undergoing a vigorous off-season workout regimen, young goaltender Cam Ward appears to be back in his Conn Smythe Trophywinning form.

2–1–1 13 7

14 COLORADO AVALANCHE (16): The Avs need not worry about Paul Stastny suffering through a sophomore slump. He scored eight points in the team’s first three games, a clear sign that his NHL rookie record 20-game pointscoring streak was no fluke.

2–1–0 10 9

15 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (30): The Flyers are, on paper, much improved. But with so much off-season maneuvering, there’s good reason to wonder how long it will take for this team to develop chemistry, particularly in the defensive zone.

1–1–0 6 7

16 MONTREAL CANADIENS (17): Rookie goalie Carey Price made his NHL debut last night in Pittsburgh, just as Patrick Roy did 22 years earlier to the day. The comparisons to Roy are inevitable, but will Price’s advance billing be too much pressure to handle?

1–0–1 6 6

17 BUFFALO SABRES (1): The President’s Trophy winners got off to a flying start last year, tying an NHL record by winning their first 10 games. But this time around, without Chris Drury and Daniel Briere leading the way, wins are proving much harder to come by.

0–2–0 6 9

18 NEW YORK ISLANDERS (18): The signing of Bryan Berard should help the Isles’ ailing power play, but the real key to their season is whether Brendan Witt and rest of the defense corps can keep Rick DiPietro’s crease clear of opposing forwards.

2–1–0 10 8

19 LO S A N G E L E S K I N G S . (26): The Kings are much improved this season with the big summer additions of Ladislav Nagy and Brad Stuart. But with rookie Jonathan Bernier expected to get 35–40 starts in goal, growing pains are inevitable.

1–2–0 8 10

20. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (15): In their first two games, Lightning impressive defensive acumen, an absolute must given the team’s suspect goaltending tandem of Marc Denis and Johan Holmqvist.

2–0–0 8 3

21 EDMONTON OILERS (25): The Joni Pitkanen era has gotten off to a flying start in Edmonton, where his elite-level skating ability is enabling him to take advantage of the NHL’s fastest ice surface.

2–1–0 9 9

22 NEW JERSEY DEVILS (10): Patrik Elias has gotten off to a slow start, and it’s abundantly clear that if the Devils are to return to the postseason without Scott Gomez and Brian Rafalski, they’ll need to get an All-Star caliber performance from their captain.

1–2–0 7 8

23 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS ( 2 8 ) : When healthy, Martin Havlat is one of the NHL’s most dangerous scoring threats. Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, Havlat is never healthy; he is out with yet another shoulder injury, putting a serious dent in their playoff hopes.

1–1–0 3 4

24 ATLANTA THRASHERS (13): Letting steady rearguard Andy agency (to the Islanders) is proving to be costly. Without him, the Thrashers’ defensive zone offers a potpourri of opportunity to opposing forwards.

0–2–0 3 8

25. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (24): Two very posisigns are coming in the form of Rick Nash (four points in two games) and Pascal Leclaire (1–0 with a shutout), two top draft picks who have to date failed to live up to expectations.

1–1–0 6 3

26 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (19): Former Islander Jason Blake has been diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, a highly treatable form of cancer. If the tenacious winger approaches the disease with the same dogged determination he displays on the ice every night, he’ll be fine. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Blake family; we wish Jason a speedy recovery.

1–2–1 10 17

27 ST. LOUIS BLUES (23): It’s been an up and down week for rookie blueliner Erik Johnson. He scored his first career goal on Saturday night, the game-winner in St. Louis’s 5–3 victory over the Kings, but he’s listed as day to day with a hairline fracture of his right foot.

1–1–0 7 6

28 BOSTON BRUINS (22): If off-season acquisition Manny Fernandez’s inconsistent play to date is any indication of what’s to come, the Bruins will once again find themselves depending upon Tim Thomas to right the ship.

1–1–0 4 5

29 FLORIDA PANTHERS (21): The Panthers finished strong the last two seasons, but their late surges weren’t enough to propel them into the playoffs after rocky starts. This season, it’s looking like more of the same, a bad sign for Florida’s postseason hopes.

0–2–0 3 9

30 PHOENIX COYOTES (29): There are more questions than answers for Wayne Gretzky’s team, and it would seem that finding a trade partner with cap room (the Sharks?) to take on Ed Jovanovski’s onerous salary should be GM Don Maloney’s first order of business.

1–1–0 4 5

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.