What is happening? Is this the same league we were watching last year? Nah…it couldn't be…could it? Everything seems to be upside down in the NHL right now. None of the big spenders are at the top, none of the big players are dominating, nothing is happening as it should. Somebody stop the madness…

The NY Islanders, the worst team in the NHL last year, are dominating the league, winning 4 out of their first 4 games, all on the road. In their home debut on Saturday, they almost beat the high-octane, Cup favorite, Red Wings, until a late goal and overtime tally gave the Isles their first loss of the season. Osgood, a pre-season pickup is playing great, as are the off-season acquisitions Mike Peca and Alexei Yashin. But neither of these established stars are leading the team in terms of scoring. That title can only be handed to Mark Parrish, who has eight goals in his first five games, including a hat trick against the Devils on Thursday. Yes, Mark Parrish. Not Jaromir Jagr. Not Pavel Bure. Parrish. At this rate, he is on pace to score 66 goals.

Montreal and Calgary are sitting on top of the NHL throne with the Isles. Montreal is unbeaten this season, going 4-0-1-0, while Calgary started the season with 2 back-to-back shutouts, courtesy of new goalie Roman Turek. Calgary now finds itself with a 4-1-0-1 record, the best in the West. That's right, the West. You know, the tough conference were the Big 4 (Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, St. Louis) reign supreme. Maybe someone should tell Calgary they are not supposed to be doing this good.

And to top it all off, the second-year Minnesota Wild are out of the gate with a 4-0-1 start, despite what coach Jacque Lemaire said was spotty play.

Meanwhile, the Penguins find themselves 0-3. Washington is 2-3, not a good start for a team heralded as a Stanley Cup contender. The two-time defending conference champion New Jersey Devils haven't even won a game yet, three games into the season. Statistically, last year's finalists are the worst team in the league right now. What is going on?

Maybe I'm being too dramatic. It is, after all, only 2 ½ weeks into the season. Things will inevitably straighten out and return to normal. The Big 4 will begin another epic battle against one another to get the top seed in the West. Calgary will drop off the map, and challenge for a playoff spot, if they are lucky. The Devils will regain their composure, and return to conference dominating form, while the Isles will cede the top spot in the East to better teams like New Jersey, Philadelphia, or Washington. It is a long season, and the first 2 ½ weeks should not be given too much emphasis. I mean, the Wild can't go undefeated the whole season…can they?