Super 16: Lightning start new year on top

The Tampa Bay Lightning keep winning, so they also keep getting all the No. 1 votes in NHL.com's weekly Super 16 power rankings.

The Lightning are a unanimous No. 1 for the fourth consecutive week, a well-deserved honor considering they're 14-0-1 in 15 games since Nov. 29. They haven't lost in regulation since Nov. 27 and have lost in regulation seven times in 40 games this season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins moved five spots closer to the Lightning, jumping to No. 8 this week. The Vegas Golden Knights moved two spots closer, from No. 12 last week to No. 10 this week.
The Buffalo Sabres fell four spots to No. 11.
To create the power rankings, each of the 13 staff members puts 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 latest Super 16, with some news and notes to follow for each team:

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (31-7-2)

Total points: 208
Last week: No. 1
Hit: Nikita Kucherov has 47 points (12 goals, 35 assists) in 22 games since Nov. 15. The forward has the most points in the NHL since that date and leads the League (65; 19 goals, 46 assists).
Miss: Nothing.

2. Winnipeg Jets (25-12-2)

Total points: 187
Last week: No. 2
Hit: The Jets are 11-3-2 in games decided by one goal, including 8-1-0 since Nov. 29.
Miss: They're 1-for-14 on the power play in six games since Dec. 18 and have scored one goal in four of those games.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs (26-11-2)

Total points:181
Last week: No. 3
Hit: Mitchell Marner has at least two points in four of seven games since Dec. 15, giving the forward 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in that span.
Miss: Goalie Frederik Andersen is on injured reserve with a groin injury and will miss his fourth game in a row Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. Backup Garret Sparks is also out, being evaluated under the concussion protocol following practice Wednesday.

4. Washington Capitals (24-11-3)

Total points: 169
Last week: No. 4
Hit: Alex Ovechkin needs one goal to reach 30 in a season for the 14th consecutive season. The forward needs 13 points to pass Sergei Fedorov (1,179 points) as the leading scorer among Russia-born NHL players.
Miss: Defenseman Matt Niskanen has missed two games with an upper-body injury.

5. Calgary Flames (25-12-4)

Total points:144
Last week: No. 6
Hit: Johnny Gaudreau has 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 22 games since the forward went four games without a point from Nov. 7-15.
Miss: David Rittich, who allowed eight goals on 60 shots in his past two starts, is day to day with a lower-body injury.

6. Nashville Predators (24-15-2)

Total points:132
Last week: No. 5
Hit: Forward Viktor Arvidsson has three goals in his past two games and forward Kevin Fiala has five points (one goal, four assists) in his past three games after he had two points (one goal, one assist) in 10 games from Dec. 7-27.
Miss: Kyle Turris has missed three games with a lower-body injury. The center is on injured reserve.

7. San Jose Sharks (22-13-7)

Total points: 115
Last week: No. 8
Hit: Erik Karlsson leads NHL defensemen with 17 points (one goal, 16 assists) in 11 games since Dec. 7. He also is plus-13. Karlsson had 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) and was minus-10 in the first 29 games.
Miss:Timo Meier has no goals in nine games since Dec. 16. The forward had 18 goals in his first 30 games.

8. Pittsburgh Penguins (22-12-6)

Total points:112
Last week: No. 13
Hit: Matt Murray is 6-0-0 with a 1.48 goals-against average and .955 save percentage in six starts since Dec. 15 entering. Casey DeSmith was 6-2-1 with a .932 save percentage and a 2.32 GAA since Dec. 4. The Penguins are 8-for-10 on the power play in their past four games.
Miss: Nothing.

9. Columbus Blue Jackets (23-13-3)

Total points:109
Last week: No. 9
Hit: Forward Artemi Panarin has nine points (three goals, six assists) in a five-game point streak, and defenseman Zach Werenski has six points, including four goals, in his five-game point streak. The Blue Jackets are 7-1-1 since Dec. 13.
Miss: The Blue Jackets are 0-for-20 on the power play in their past eight games and 1-for-34 in their past 12. They are 30th in the NHL at 13.2 percent.

10. Vegas Golden Knights (24-15-4)

Total points: 106
Last week:No. 12
Hit: Brandon Pirri has six goals in seven games since the Golden Knights recalled the forward from Chicago of the American Hockey League on Dec. 20. Vegas has won four games in a row, allowing three goals. Marc-Andre Fleury got his NHL-leading sixth shutout in a 2-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
Miss:They've won four in a row going 0-for-11 on the power play.

11. Buffalo Sabres (21-13-6)

Total points: 76
Last week: No. 7
Hit: The Sabres have scored a power-play goal in three of their past four games (3-for-11). Forward Kyle Okposo scored his first goal in 22 games since Nov. 16 in a 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Monday.
Miss:Jack Eichel has an upper-body injury that could keep the center and Sabres leading scorer (49 points; 15 goals, 34 assists) out of their game against the Florida Panthers on Thursday. He didn't practice Wednesday.

12. Boston Bruins (22-14-4)

Total points:68
Last week: No. 10
Hit: The Bruins are 9-for-26 on the power play (34.6 percent) and 21-for-23 on the penalty kill (91.3 percent) in seven games since Dec. 17.
Miss: Charlie McAvoy has missed three games with a lower-body injury the defenseman sustained against the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 23 and forward Joakim Nordstrom sustained a non-displaced fibula fracture in the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Tuesday and will be re-evaluated in approximately three weeks.

13. Colorado Avalanche (19-14-8)

Total points: 53
Last week:No. 11
Hit: The Avalanche earned a point in six of 13 games (3-7-3) they were trailing entering the third period. Six other teams had earned a point in at least six games they've trailed entering the third period.
Miss:The Avalanche were 1-0-8 in games decided after regulation, including 1-0-7 in games decided in overtime. They were outshot 23-5 in overtime.

14. New York Islanders (21-13-4)

Total points:47
Last week: No. 16
Hit: The Islanders have won four games in a row and are 8-1-0 since Dec. 15 with center Mathew Barzal contributing 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in the nine-game stretch. Robin Lehner has allowed three goals on 143 shots (.979 save percentage) in five games since Dec. 18.
Miss: Jordan Eberle has missed three games with an upper-body injury. The forward is on injured reserve.

15. Montreal Canadiens (21-14-5)

Total points:32
Last week: No. 15
Hit: Phillip Danault has five goals in the past four games after the forward scored one goal in the first 36 games.
Miss:Carey Price has missed three games with a lower-body injury. The goalie practiced Wednesday and may be ready to return against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

16. Anaheim Ducks (19-15-7)

Total points:25
Last week: No. 14
Hit:John Gibson has allowed two or fewer goals in five of seven starts since Dec. 15, a .924 save percentage in that span.
Miss:They're 0-4-2 in their past six games.
Others receiving points: Dallas Stars 3, Minnesota Wild 1
Dropped out:None

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

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