Super 16: Penguins supplant Canadiens

The Pittsburgh Penguins climbed up the NHL.com Super 16 rankings to finish first this week, 11 points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens, who were No. 1 last week.
The rankings are calculated by a points-based system based on the submissions by 12 NHL.com staff members. Point values are assigned to each ranking. The point values are assigned as follows: 16 points for a No. 1 ranking, down to one point for a No. 16 ranking.

The Canadiens are No. 2 in part because they are No. 1 in the League according to six staff members. However, Mike Morreale has them at No. 9 and Shawn Roarke has them at No. 6.

The Penguins jump up from No. 3 because they are ranked first by six staff members and second by another four. They aren't ranked below No. 3 by anyone.
The Edmonton Oilers, arguably the most divisive team among the 12 staff members for the past few weeks, seem to have settled into that 7-10 range. Brian Compton still has them high at No. 4 and Morreale and Tim Campbell have them fifth, but everyone else has them between 7-10.
Here's where they all landed once the math was finished:

1. Pittsburgh Penguins (9-2-2)

Total points:184
Last week: No. 3
Hit: Conor Sheary has had two productive games since returning from an injury that kept him out for seven straight games. He had two assists in a 5-0 win against the San Jose Sharks and two goals, including the winner, in a 4-3 win against the Oilers.
Miss: Hard to nitpick. Not much has gone wrong of late for the Penguins.

2. Montreal Canadiens (11-1-1)

Total points: 173
Last week:No. 1
Hit: Carey Price continues to be dominant and the Vezina Trophy favorite with a 1.63 goals-against average and .953 save percentage despite facing 34.25 shots per game, the most of any goalie with four or more starts.
Miss:Montreal has been outshot in six straight games by an average of 14 per game (232-148), including an average of 15.5 per game in the past four (163-101).

3. New York Rangers (10-4-0)

Total points:165
Last week: No. 4
Hit: Rookie defenseman Brady Skjei has nine assists, including at least one in six straight games, and is consistently making smart decisions with and without the puck.
Miss: The Rangers have been outshot in three consecutive games by a combined 92-68. Their shooting percentage (14 percent) looks great now, but is also likely to regress soon. The League average is 9.3 percent.

4. Chicago Blackhawks (10-3-1)

Total points:157
Last week: No. 5
Hit: Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa have picked up their production. Entering play Wednesday, Toews and Hossa have combined for 10 goals and 16 points in Chicago's seven-game winning streak after combining for one goal and six points in the first seven games.
Miss: Rookie Tyler Motte, who has been solid with six points in 13 games, will miss the next two to three weeks because of a lower-body injury.

5. Washington Capitals (8-3-1)

Total points:152
Last week: No. 2
Hit:The Capitals are winning 52.7 percent of their faceoffs this season after winning 49.6 percent last season. They're third in total faceoff win percentage and second in offensive zone faceoff win percentage (56.3 percent).
Miss: Their vaunted power play is 5-for-38 (13.2 percent), including 1-for-15 in the past four games.

6. Edmonton Oilers (9-4-1)

Total points: 118
Last week: No. 7
Hit:The Oilers are 5-2-1 on the road this season. They were 12-23-6 on the road last season.
Miss: His numbers are still good and he's hardly a problem, but goalie Cam Talbot has allowed three or more goals in four straight games with a save percentage of .888 in that span (14 goals against on 125 shots).

7. Tampa Bay Lightning (7-5-1)

Total points:117
Last week:No. 6
Hit: Ondrej Palat, who leads the NHL with 19 takeaways, ended a nine-game streak without a goal and a seven-game streak without a point in the Lightning's 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Monday. He had a season-high seven shots on goal in the game.
Miss: The Lightning have not scored a goal in the first period in 10 of their 13 games this season.

8. St. Louis Blues (7-4-3)

Total points:113
Last week:No. 9
Hit:The Blues have allowed six goals in the first period in their 14 games.
Miss:They've scored six goals in the first period too.

9. San Jose Sharks (7-6-0)

Total points:103
Last week: No. 8
Hit:The Sharks haven't allowed a power-play goal in eight straight games, going 21-for-21 on the penalty kill during that span.
Miss: Logan Couture has no goals and three assists in the past 10 games. He has 34 shots in those 10 games, which suggests his fortunes should turn soon.

10. Anaheim Ducks (6-5-3)

Total points:66
Last week:No. 13
Hit: After missing the first 13 games of the season because he didn't have a contract and then had work visa issues after signing his contract, Hampus Lindholm made his season debut Wednesday.
Miss: The Ducks are struggling in close games. Including their 3-2 overtime loss against the Blue Jackets on Wednesday, they are 1-2-3 in one-goal games, including 0-3 in games decided in overtime.

11. New Jersey Devils (6-3-3)

Total points:55
Last week: No. 15
Hit: PA Parenteau has fit in nicely after getting picked up off waivers from the New York Islanders before the season started. He has five goals on 24 shots.
Miss: Adam Henrique and Kyle Palmieri, who scored 30 goals last season, have two each through 12 games.

12. Minnesota Wild (6-4-1)

Total points: 50
Last week: No. 10
Hit: Erik Haula practiced with the team Wednesday and could play Thursday against the Penguins. It would be the first game for the third-line center since Oct. 20, when he sustained a foot injury.
Miss: The Wild are going through a regression in shooting percentage. They have one goal on 60 shots (1.6 percent) in the past two games after scoring 32 goals on 233 shots (13.7 percent) in their first nine games.

13. Detroit Red Wings (7-6-1)

Total points: 45
Last week:No. 12
Hit:The Red Wings ended a five-game losing streak (0-4-1) with a 3-2 shootout win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. Tomas Tatar scored, ending an eight-game streak without a goal.
Miss: Tatar's goal was his second of the season. He had 21 last season and 29 in 2014-15.

14. Los Angeles Kings (7-6-0)

Total points:42
Last week: NR
Hit: Peter Budaj has shutouts in his past two starts and hasn't allowed a goal in 150:32. A big reason is how the Kings are limiting shots against; Budaj has faced 82 shots in his past four starts and has faced 25 or fewer in eight of his 10 consecutive starts.
Miss: The Kings are 4-for-39 on the power play this season (10.3 percent, 28th in the League), including 0-for-18 in their past six games.

15. Ottawa Senators (8-5-0)

Total points: 25
Last week: No. 11
Hit: Erik Karlsson is closing in on some personal milestones. He is eight games away from playing in his 500th career NHL game. He needs five points to get to 400 career points and eight assists to get to 300 for his career.
Miss: The Senators are shooting 5.2 percent in the second period (eight goals on 153 shots).

16. Florida Panthers (6-6-1)

Total points:19
Last week: No. 14
Hit:The Panthers are 4-for-8 on the power play in their past three games with at least one goal on the man-advantage in each game.
Miss: Aleksander Barkov's assist in Florida's 3-1 win against the Lightning on Monday was his first in nine games. He hasn't scored in the past 11 games.
Others receiving points: Boston Bruins 16; Columbus Blue Jackets 15; Winnipeg Jets 9; Nashville Predators 6; Dallas Stars 1; Philadelphia Flyers 1
HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM
ARPON BASU
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Montreal Canadiens; 4. Chicago Blackhawks; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Los Angeles Kings; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. San Jose Sharks; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Boston Bruins; 14. Florida Panthers; 15. Detroit Red Wings; 16. Ottawa Senators
AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Montreal Canadiens; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Pittsburgh Penguins; 4. Chicago Blackhawks; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. St. Louis Blues; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Detroit Red Wings; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Boston Bruins
TIM CAMPBELL
1. Montreal Canadiens; 2. Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. Chicago Blackhawks; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Edmonton Oilers; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. St. Louis Blues; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Philadelphia Flyers
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Montreal Canadiens; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Pittsburgh Penguins; 4. Edmonton Oilers; 5. Chicago Blackhawks; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. St. Louis Blues; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. Detroit Red Wings; 11. San Jose Sharks; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Minnesota Wild
NICK COTSONIKA
1. Montreal Canadiens; 2. Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Chicago Blackhawks; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. New Jersey Devils; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Ottawa Senators; 16. Boston Bruins
TOM GULITTI
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Montreal Canadiens; 3. Chicago Blackhawks; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. St. Louis Blues; 7. San Jose Sharks; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. New Jersey Devils; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Anaheim Ducks
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Montreal Canadiens; 3. Chicago Blackhawks; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. New York Rangers; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. San Jose Sharks; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Winnipeg Jets; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Dallas Stars
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Montreal Canadiens; 2. Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. Chicago Blackhawks; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Detroit Red Wings; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Boston Bruins
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Chicago Blackhawks; 5. Edmonton Oilers; 6. San Jose Sharks; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Montreal Canadiens; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Columbus Blue Jackets; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. Ottawa Senators; 16. Winnipeg Jets
BILL PRICE
1. Montreal Canadiens; 2. Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. Chicago Blackhawks; 4. New York Rangers; 5 Washington Capitals; 6. San Jose Sharks; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. Anaheim Ducks 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Nashville Predators; 14. Winnipeg Jets; 15. Ottawa Senators; 16. New Jersey Devils
SHAWN ROARKE
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Chicago Blackhawks; 5. St. Louis Blues; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. Detroit Red Wings; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. New Jersey Devils
DAN ROSEN
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Montreal Canadiens; 4. Chicago Blackhawks; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. St. Louis Blues; 7. San Jose Sharks; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Anaheim Ducks; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. Nashville Predators; 16. Detroit Red Wings