Super 16: Golden Knights continue climb

The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to hold off the competition to retain the top spot in the NHL.com weekly Super 16 power rankings.
The Lightning are No. 1 for the 12th consecutive week, although they weren't a unanimous choice like last week. The Vegas Golden Knights, who defeated the Lightning 4-3 on Dec. 19, were ranked first by staff writer Mike G. Morreale. The Lightning were No. 1 by the other 13 writers.
To create the power rankings, each of the participating 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.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (29-8-2)

Total points: 223Last week: No. 1
Hit: Andrei Vasilevskiy leads the NHL with six shutouts, including two in a row and in three of his past four starts. He has an active shutout streak of 164:29.
Miss: Nothing.

2. Vegas Golden Knights (27-9-2)

Total points: 196Last week: No. 3
Hit: The Golden Knights have won eight in a row and are 12-0-1 since Dec. 3. They are the first major professional sports team in North America to win eight consecutive games at any point in their inaugural season since the Denver Nuggets of the NBA did it from Oct. 22-Nov. 9, 1976, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Miss: Zip.

3. Los Angeles Kings (24-11-5)

Total points: 178Last week: No. 4
Hit: Forward Marian Gaborik has a point in three straight games (two goals, three assists), including two assists in a 5-0 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. Gaborik had eight points (five goals, three assists) in his first 15 games.
Miss: Forward Tanner Pearson has not scored in nine games since Dec. 12. He has two assists in that span.

4. Nashville Predators (23-11-5)

Total points: 174Last week: No. 2
Hit: Defenseman Ryan Ellis is back. He made his season debut Tuesday, playing 18:28 in a 3-0 loss to Vegas.
Miss: Forward Filip Forsberg is out. He will miss 4-6 weeks with an upper-body injury he sustained Dec. 29.

5. Washington Capitals (25-13-3)

Total points: 167Last week: No. 7
Hit: The Capitals have won three games in a row and have scored 14 goals since getting shut out in back-to-back games by the Golden Knights and New York Rangers.
Miss: Forward T.J. Oshie has no points in the past five games, and one goal in seven games since returning to the lineup Dec. 19 after he missed six games with an injury. He practiced on a line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on Wednesday.

6. Winnipeg Jets (23-11-7)

Total points: 162Last week: No. 8
Hit: Forward Blake Wheeler has four goals during an active three-game streak. He had one goal in nine games prior to that.
Miss: The Jets are 1-0-7 in games decided after regulation, including 0-0-6 in overtime.

7. St. Louis Blues (25-15-2)

Total points: 134Last week: No. 6
Hit: The Blues are 3-0-0 in the shootout, and center Brayden Schenn is 3-for-3, with each the game-deciding goal.
Miss: The Blues are 0-for-15 on the power play in their past six games and 3-for-39 in their past 13.

8. New Jersey Devils (22-10-7)

Total points: 123Last week: No. 5
Hit: Defenseman Sami Vatanen has a four-game point streak (one goal, three assists) after getting one assist in his first 11 games with the Devils, who acquired him in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 30.
Miss: The Devils have lost four consecutive road games (0-2-2) and play their next two games and six of their next 10 on the road.

9. Boston Bruins (22-10-6)

Total points: 122Last week: No. 10
Hit: The Bruins have a point in nine straight games (7-0-2) for the first time since a 6-0-3 stretch in the 2014-15 season (Dec. 29-Jan. 15). They are 16-3-2 since Nov. 16.
Miss: Nothing here.

10. New York Rangers (21-14-5)

Total points: 87Last week: No. 12
Hit: Henrik Lundqvist has 18 wins and can become the first goalie in NHL history to win at least 20 games in each of his first 13 seasons and win at least 20 games in 13 consecutive seasons.
Miss: Left wing Chris Kreider is out indefinitely with a blood clot in his right arm.

11. Columbus Blue Jackets (23-15-3)

Total points: 84Last week: No. 11
Hit: Defenseman Seth Jones has nine points (four goals, five assists) in 10 games since Dec. 14.
Miss: The Blue Jackets have allowed seven power-play goals in their past eight games.

12. San Jose Sharks (21-12-4)

Total points: 66Last week: No. 13
Hit: Forward Kevin Labanc has 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 10 games since Dec. 9. He had eight points (three goals, five assists) in his first 22 games.
Miss: Forward Joonas Donskoi has no points in seven straight games. His ice time dipped to 13:53 in a 4-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. He played more than 15 minutes in each of the previous six games, including at least 17:35 in four of them.

13. Toronto Maple Leafs (23-16-2)

Total points: 65Last week: No. 9
Hit: Center Auston Matthews has four goals in five games since returning to the lineup Dec. 23 after missing six games with a concussion.
Miss: The Maple Leafs are 0-for-7 on the power play in their past three games (0-2-1). They are 13-5-0 when they score at least one power-play goal, 10-11-2 when they don't.

14. Dallas Stars (22-16-3)

Total points: 51Last week: No. 15
Hit: John Klingberg leads NHL defensemen with 35 points and 30 assists, including seven in seven games since Dec. 19.
Miss: Center Jason Spezza's season-long struggles aren't going away. He has no goals in 11 games since Dec. 11 and is four from matching his season-opening 15-game drought. Spezza has 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 41 games.

15. Anaheim Ducks (19-14-8)

Total points: 31Last week: No. 16
Hit: Forward Rickard Rakell is riding an NHL career-long six-game goal scoring streak (seven goals).
Miss: The Ducks are 3-for-28 on the power play in 13 games since Dec. 6.

16. New York Islanders (20-16-4)

Total points: 14Last week: No. 14
Hit: Forward Josh Bailey, who was the NHL's second star of December, had an NHL career-long 11-game point streak (seven goals, 12 assists) end in a 5-1 loss to the Bruins on Tuesday.
Miss: The Islanders have been outscored 15-4 and are 0-for-11 on the power play during their three-game losing streak, including 11-2 and 0-for-7 in their past two games.
Dropped out: None
Others receiving points: Carolina Hurricanes, 11; Chicago Blackhawks, 8; Minnesota Wild 8

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Los Angeles Kings; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Nashville Predators; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Columbus Blue Jackets; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. New York Rangers; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. San Jose Sharks; 15. Chicago Blackhawks; 16. Carolina Hurricanes
TIM CAMPBELL
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Los Angeles Kings; 3. Nashville Predators; 4. St. Louis Blues; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. New York Rangers; 9. San Jose Sharks; 10. Columbus Blue Jackets; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Dallas Stars; 16. Minnesota Wild
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Nashville Predators; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Los Angeles Kings; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Dallas Stars; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Carolina Hurricanes; 14. Columbus Blue Jackets; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Chicago Blackhawks
NICK COTSONIKA
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Los Angeles Kings; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. New Jersey Devils; 6. New York Rangers; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. Nashville Predators; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. San Jose Sharks; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Toronto Maple Leafs; 15. Carolina Hurricanes; 16. Minnesota Wild
LISA DILLMAN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Nashville Predators; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Los Angeles Kings; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Columbus Blue Jackets; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. San Jose Sharks; 15. Dallas Stars; 16. New York Islanders
TOM GULITTI
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Los Angeles Kings; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. St. Louis Blues; 7. Nashville Predators; 8. New Jersey Devils; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Columbus Blue Jackets; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. San Jose Sharks; 13. New York Rangers; 14. Dallas Stars; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Carolina Hurricanes
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Nashville Predators; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. St. Louis Blues; 7. Los Angeles Kings; 8. Columbus Blue Jackets; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. New York Rangers; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. San Jose Sharks; 14. New York Islanders; 15. Dallas Stars; 16. Carolina Hurricanes
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Los Angeles Kings; 6. Nashville Predators; 7. St. Louis Blues; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. Columbus Blue Jackets; 11. San Jose Sharks; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Dallas Stars; 14. New York Rangers; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Carolina Hurricanes
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Nashville Predators; 5. Los Angeles Kings; 6. St. Louis Blues; 7. Columbus Blue Jackets; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. New York Rangers; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Dallas Stars; 14. Chicago Blackhawks; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Anaheim Ducks
TRACEY MYERS
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Nashville Predators; 4. Los Angeles Kings; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Dallas Stars; 14. San Jose Sharks; 15. Columbus Blue Jackets; 16. Anaheim Ducks
BILL PRICE
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Los Angeles Kings; 4. Nashville Predators; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Boston Bruins; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. San Jose Sharks; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Dallas Stars; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. New York Islanders
SHAWN ROARKE
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Los Angeles Kings; 3. Nashville Predators; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. St. Louis Blues; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. New Jersey Devils; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. Columbus Blue Jackets; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Toronto Maple Leafs; 15. New York Rangers; 16. Minnesota Wild
DAN ROSEN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Nashville Predators; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. Los Angeles Kings; 6. Boston Bruins; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Toronto Maple Leafs; 15. San Jose Sharks; 16. Carolina Hurricanes
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Nashville Predators; 4. Los Angeles Kings; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. Columbus Blue Jackets; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. Dallas Stars; 12. New York Rangers; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. New York Islanders; 15. Chicago Blackhawks; 16. Minnesota Wild