WASHINGTON — In the league of hypnotic parity, it’s not easy to determine what is real and what is fake. Every team comes back to the mean, which is what makes the beginning and the end of the season — not to mention the best postseason in all of pro sports — so interesting.

So glancing at the standings just short of three weeks in — for everyone that means about seven or eight games, while for the Rangers it inexplicably means just four — and there are some surprises at the top. Friday morning, it was the Sabres of Ralph Krueger above all others at 6-1-1. Then there was the the Connor McDavid’s — er, the James Neal’s; er, the Oilers — at 6-1-0, followed by the Hurricanes at 6-2-0.

If you had a ticket with those three teams starting 18-4-1, enjoy retirement.

Of course each case is different. But how do they project going into the slog of the regular season and into the strong gravitational force of salary-cap equality? Should you buy or sell? Let’s look.

Hurricanes: Buy

It doesn’t seem like The Jerks are going away.

Despite veteran leader Justin Williams choosing not to play this season — at least not yet — and trading away longtime Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk before his contract situation became an annoyance, coach Rod Brind’Amour still has the Hurricanes playing the same team-first game that got them to the Eastern Conference finals this past spring. They were more than a sum of their parts when they beat the Capitals in a seven-game, first-round series, and were more of the same when they looked in the mirror and swept the Islanders, who played a familiar style but were rusty from a long layoff after their first-round sweep of the Penguins.

Yet Carolina didn’t have enough to hang with the Bruins in the conference final, which was more a testament to how they stacked up in depth of talent. But there is nothing that says this plucky group hasn’t grown together in confidence, and can’t keep it going to more than just a wild-card berth in a wide-open Metropolitan Division.

Sabres: Eh

Those hearty fans in Buffalo should be happy that this team is at least far more competitive this season under the first-year coach Krueger, playing a semblance of defense and getting some early brilliance in goal from Carter Hutton. The relative journeyman set a franchise record by making 47 saves in a 3-0 shutout on Thursday night against the Kings, taking his personal shutout streak to 128:36. His .953 save percentage and 1.39 goals-against average are best in the league (besides the one good start for Ryan Miller, of all people, now with the Ducks).

But goaltending might be masking some of the team’s problems, as their second-highest PDO (1.047) shows. (PDO being the combination of save percentage and shooting percentage, with higher numbers often equating to some good luck). Rasmus Dahlin has had some highlight-reel plays, but the No. 1-overall pick from 2018 is getting the least amount of 5-on-5 ice time for their six regular defensemen. Old buddy Jimmy Vesey has one assist through eight games.

The Sabres are better, but they still have a lot to prove.

Oilers: Sell

If you can short the Oilers, do it.

Surely Ken Holland has that front office back in order after the disastrous reign of Peter Chiarelli. And surely coach Dave Tippett has them playing a more complete game than Todd McLellan did for almost four seasons — or the short-lived stint of getting Ken Hitchcock out of retirement for half a year.

But a team with one line — really, two players — can not sustain. McDavid is absolutely incredible, dazzling every night night with plays like this:

Running mate Leon Draisaitl isn’t far behind among the league’s elite. And maybe the club gets lucky with one of those bounce-back years from Neal, who does seem rejuvenated with his torrid start.

But the drop off in talent is dramatic, the defense is shaky at best, and the goaltending is still in the hands of 31-year-old Mikko Koskinen — that is, if his hands are free from counting the money in his jaw-dropping three-year, $13.5 million deal he signed this summer.

They’re no longer the league’s worst, but it’s unsafe to stand below them.

White House Washout

It’s a shame that there is this much divisiveness in the country, but it might be time that pro sports teams stop going to the White House after championships. There is no such thing as an apolitical moment in Washington anymore, and it was cringe-worthy this week when President Trump took a shot at the “fake news” and the Blues players laughed.

If players want to be socially active, great. If they don’t, that’s fine too. But no longer is a trip to the White House just a fun thing.

Blue Jackets’ Bizarre

What a terrific goal from Blue Jackets winger Sonny Milano on Tuesday night, as the Long Island native and No. 16-overall pick from 2014 is at a make-or-break time in his career. The talent has never been a question, but John Tortorella is always going to make sure that talent alone is not enough.

But do you believe that Nick Foligno scored an almost identical goal six years ago — and it also happened to be against goalie Ben Bishop? Columbus should see if Marek Malik wants to come out of retirement.

Awful officials

There is a big difference between targeting the head and an inadvertent hit to the head, but Ken Dryden is right — both should be highly illegal. Which is why this screenshot of referee Chris Rooney just watching as Taylor Hall bulldozes Adam Fox from Thursday night, is so comically scary.

Whether Hall targeted Fox’s head or not is up for debate — I don’t think so. But Rooney was ready to not make a call at all. He thought that was a clean hit?! Hall only got an elbowing minor after a skirmish ensued when Brady Skjei jumped in to defend his teammate. Trying to make the game safer, right, Gary?

Stay tuned . . .

. . . to the suspension (or lack thereof) for Darren Helm after this malicious slash to the back of Elias Lindholm’s leg on Thursday night. Away from the play, unsuspecting opponent, intent to injure. Just brutal.

Parting shot

So often these in-arena bench interviews with kids playing during intermissions are brutally awkward. This one makes up for all the crappy ones we have been forced to see.