Super 16: Oilers join power rankings for first time this season

The bottom of the Super 16 power rankings this week is where it is most interesting.

The Edmonton Oilers are in for the first time this season, landing at No. 14 after being ranked by 12 of the 13 participating staff members.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, who dropped out of the rankings four weeks ago, are at No. 16, one point ahead of the Minnesota Wild.
The Vegas Golden Knights, who got back in the Super 16 last week for the first time since Oct. 25, are No. 15 for the second week in a row.
At the top, the Tampa Bay Lightning got all 13 first-place votes to stay No. 1 for the second straight week. The Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames each moved up two spots, and the Buffalo Sabres and Colorado Avalanche each dropped two spots to round out the top eight.

To create the power rankings, each of the 13 staff members put together his or her version of what they think the Super 16 should look like. Those are submitted and a point total is assigned to each.
The team picked first is given 16 points, second gets 15, third gets 14, and so on down to No. 16, which gets one point.
Here is the latest Super 16, with some news and notes to follow for each team:

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (24-7-1)

Total points: 208
Last week: No. 1
Hit: The Lightning have won seven games in a row, averaging 4.86 goals per game and clicking at 39.1 percent (9-for-23) on the power play. Four of the wins have come when they allowed the first goal, putting their total in such games at an NHL-high 11 wins.
Miss: Nothing. Injured goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (foot) and defenseman Anton Stralman (upper body) returned to practice Wednesday.

2. Nashville Predators (20-10-1)

Total points: 185
Last week: No. 2
Hit: The Predators have won three in a row and nine of 11 at home since Oct. 30.
Miss: They have lost six in a row (0-5-1) on the road.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs (21-9-1)

Total points: 181
Last week: No. 3
Hit: The Maple Leafs are 15-0-1 when scoring first, the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss in such games.
Miss: Forward Zach Hyman will miss one more game because of his two-game suspension for interference on Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy on Saturday.

4. Winnipeg Jets (19-9-2)

Total points: 168
Last week: No. 4
Hit: The Jets are 7-2-0, averaging 4.44 goals per game, and are 28.6 percent on the power play (10-for-35) and 84.2 percent on the penalty kill (16-for-19) since Nov. 24. They have scored at least six goals in four of the nine games, including the past two.
Miss: Andrew Copp, a fourth-line forward, has missed four straight games and seven of the past nine with an upper-body injury.

5. Washington Capitals (18-9-3)

Total points: 157
Last week: No. 7
Hit: Alex Ovechkin has a 12-game point streak (13 goals, six assists) and the forward leads the NHL with 25 goals in 30 games. Ovechkin is the first player since Sidney Crosby of the Penguins in 2010-11 to lead the NHL with 25 goals in 30 or fewer games.
Miss: Tom Wilson has missed three games with an upper-body injury, but the forward was back at practice and taking full contact Wednesday. He could be in the lineup at the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.

6. Calgary Flames (20-10-2)

Total points: 138
Last week: No. 8
Hit: The Flames have won a NHL-high seven games when trailing going into the third period, mostly because they have outscored the opposition 49-24 in the third.
Miss: Mikael Backlund has missed three games with an upper-body injury and there is no timetable for the forward's return.

7. Buffalo Sabres (18-9-4)

Total points: 126
Last week: No. 5
Hit: The Sabres are 11-2-4 in one-goal games, tied with the Oilers (11-1-2) for second in the NHL in one-goal wins. The Anaheim Ducks (12-1-5) were first.
Miss: Buffalo hasn't won in regulation since Nov. 21 (4-3-2).

8. Colorado Avalanche (17-9-5)

Total points: 111
Last week: No. 6
Hit: Mikko Rantanen, who has a 12-game point streak (six goals, 17 assists), leads the NHL with 52 points (13 goals, 39 assists) in 31 games. The forward is the fourth player, and first non-Penguins player since 1996-97, to score at least 50 points in his team's first 31 games, joining Jaromir Jagr (53 in 1999-00), Mario Lemieux (55 in 2002-03) and Evgeni Malkin (53 in 2008-09).
Miss: The Avalanche have allowed 13 goals in the past two games (7-1 against the Lightning, 6-4 against the Oilers), and 21, including six on the power play, in the past four (1-3-0).

9. Boston Bruins (17-10-4)

Total points: 107
Last week: No. 9
Hit: The Bruins have won three in a row, with forward Brad Marchand contributing eight points (three goals, five assists). Defenseman Zdeno Chara (left knee) and forward Patrice Bergeron (rib/sternoclavicular) are back skating on their own.
Miss: Jake DeBrusk has missed three games with an upper-body injury the forward sustained in a 3-2 loss to the Lightning on Dec. 6.

10. San Jose Sharks (16-11-5)

Total points: 87
Last week: No. 11
Hit: The Sharks have won four of their past five games, with 11 players scoring a goal. Joe Pavelski has four, and Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl have scored three each. Pavelski has seven goals in the past eight games, giving the forward a San Jose-high 20.
Miss: The Sharks are 6-8-3 on the road, 2-6-1 since Nov. 8.

11. Dallas Stars (16-12-3)

Total points: 62
Last week: No. 12
Hit: Miro Heiskanen has eight points (four goals, four assists) in nine games since Nov. 23 and leads NHL rookie defensemen with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists).
Miss: John Klingberg has missed 15 games since Nov. 10 with a broken hand, but the defenseman is hoping to return to full practices next week after the Stars return from their four-game road trip.

12. Anaheim Ducks (17-11-5)

Total points: 55
Last week: No. 14
Hit: Jakob Silfverberg has scored a goal in four straight games after the forward scored two in 18 games from Oct. 28-Dec. 2. Ondrej Kase has 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in 12 games since Nov. 18, including his first NHL hat trick in a 6-3 win against the Stars on Wednesday.
Miss: Rickard Rakell has a sprained ankle that will keep the forward out indefinitely, and Ryan Miller will miss about six weeks with an MCL sprain the goalie sustained in a 6-5 shootout win against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.

13. Columbus Blue Jackets (16-12-2)

Total points: 49
Last week: No. 10
Hit: Seth Jones has eight points (four goals, four assists) in the past seven games, giving the defenseman 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 23 games this season.
Miss: The Blue Jackets have lost four of five games this month, outscored 10-3 in the third period and scoring once on 16 power plays. Josh Anderson is day to day with an upper-body injury the forward sustained in a 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.

14. Edmonton Oilers (17-12-2)

Total points: 47
Last week: NR
Hit: Connor McDavid has 10 points (four goals, six assists) during a six-game point streak and the Oilers have won four in a row for the first time this season. The center needs one point to become the ninth player in NHL history to score 300 points before his 22nd birthday (Jan. 13).
Miss: Oscar Klefbom will be out for weeks, coach Ken Hitchcock said, with a hand injury the defenseman sustained in a 6-4 win against the Avalanche on Tuesday.

15. Vegas Golden Knights (18-14-1)

Total points: 34
Last week: No. 15
Hit: Reilly Smith has 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in a 13-game stretch after the forward had seven points (three goals, four assists) in the first 20 games. Max Pacioretty has 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in the past 12 games after the forward had four (two goals, two assists) in his first 16 games.
Miss: The Golden Knights are the only team in the Western Conference, and one of two in the NHL (Devils), that doesn't have a win from a second goalie this season; Malcolm Subban is 0-4-0 with a 4.03 GAA and .859 save percentage backing up Marc-Andre Fleury.

16. Pittsburgh Penguins (13-11-6)

Total points: 19
Last week: NR
Hit: Matt Murray, who missed nine games with a lower-body injury, was activated off injured reserve Tuesday and was the backup goalie to Casey DeSmith against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Miss: Patric Hornqvist has missed three games with an upper-body injury that landed the forward on injured reserve Tuesday.

Others receiving points: Minnesota Wild 18, Montreal Canadiens 10, New York Islanders 6
Dropped out: Minnesota Wild (No. 13), New York Islanders (No. 16)

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Toronto Maple Leafs; 3. Nashville Predators; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Calgary Flames; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Buffalo Sabres; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Montreal Canadiens
TIM CAMPBELL
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Calgary Flames; 6. Buffalo Sabres; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. San Jose Sharks; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Montreal Canadiens; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Toronto Maple Leafs; 3. Nashville Predators; 4. Calgary Flames; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. San Jose Sharks; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Dallas Stars; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Pittsburgh Penguins; 16. New York Islanders
NICK COTSONIKA
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Toronto Maple Leafs; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Nashville Predators; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Buffalo Sabres; 7. Calgary Flames; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. San Jose Sharks; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. Columbus Blue Jackets; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins
TOM GULITTI
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Toronto Maple Leafs; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Nashville Predators; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Calgary Flames; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. Dallas Stars; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Vegas Golden Knights; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Calgary Flames; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Buffalo Sabres; 9. Columbus Blue Jackets; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Edmonton Oilers; 13. New York Islanders; 14. Dallas Stars; 15. Vegas Golden Knights; 16. Anaheim Ducks
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Buffalo Sabres; 7. Calgary Flames; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Dallas Stars; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Pittsburgh Penguins; 16. Montreal Canadiens
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Nashville Predators; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. San Jose Sharks; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. Boston Bruins; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. Buffalo Sabres; 10. Calgary Flames; 11. Columbus Blue Jackets; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Vegas Golden Knights
TRACEY MYERS
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Toronto Maple Leafs; 3. Nashville Predators; 4. Buffalo Sabres; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Calgary Flames; 8. Columbus Blue Jackets; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Dallas Stars; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. San Jose Sharks; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Montreal Canadiens
BILL PRICE
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Toronto Maple Leafs; 3. Nashville Predators; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Calgary Flames; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Columbus Blue Jackets; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Dallas Stars; 16. New York Islanders
SHAWN ROARKE
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Calgary Flames; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Buffalo Sabres; 10. Vegas Golden Knights; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Columbus Blue Jackets
DAN ROSEN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Nashville Predators; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Calgary Flames; 7. Boston Bruins; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. Buffalo Sabres; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Columbus Blue Jackets; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Boston Bruins; 7. Calgary Flames; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. Buffalo Sabres; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Montreal Canadiens; 14. Columbus Blue Jackets; 15. Pittsburgh Penguins; 16. Minnesota Wild