Topped by the Canucks' 3-0 record, those three are among the team surprises after the first week of the NHL season.

	Goalie Kevin Weekes, forward Todd Bertuzzi and defenseman Adrian Aucoin are all playing roles in the Canucks' resurgence.

"It's time to get a little bit excited," coach Mark Crawford said after Vancouver's 4-1 win over Montreal on Saturday night gave the Canucks their best start since 1992.

"We're not going to get carried away with ourselves. We know we've got a long way to go. ... But right now, the confidence can keep building for us if we continue to adhere to what we're doing."

The Canucks have reason to feel good about themselves these days. They've missed the playoffs for three straight years and have been at the bottom of the Western Conference two seasons in a row.

Their 3-0 start is one win short of their best in franchise history. The Canucks' three-game winning streak is also their longest since February 1998.

"It's only three games in, but we've been playing really hard. We've bought into a system and we've got to keep on riding it," Todd Bertuzzi said.

The Sharks and Panthers both feel pretty good, too, after strong starts.

The Sharks began the season with three straight victories for the first time in their history before losing 3-2 to defending Stanley Cup champion Dallas on Saturday night. The Panthers are 2-0-1 after Saturday night's 2-2 tie with the Detroit Red Wings.

The Sharks, who finished seventh in the Western Conference last year, have never had a winning season in their eight years in the NHL. The Panthers, Stanley Cup finalists in 1996, have missed the playoffs for two straight seasons.

Saturday night's performance was a gutsy effort by the Panthers, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie one of the NHL's tougher teams.

"Getting down 2-0 to one of the premier teams in the league and certainly one of the best defensive teams, I'm very happy to come back and tie this thing," Panthers coach Terry Murray said.

The Los Angeles Kings are another team trying to forget the past, and doing a pretty good job of it. They're at 3-1-1 in the midst of a seven-game road trip to start the season, including a 2-2 tie Saturday night at Washington.

The Kings missed the playoffs last season for the fifth time in six years, including last year when they went 32-45-5.

"We talked about calling this a good trip if we won tonight," said Kings coach Andy Murray. "Now it goes a step below a great trip but a few steps above a good trip."