Super 16: Penguins on top again

The top two teams in NHL.com's Super 16 didn't budge this week, but the hottest two teams in the League inched closer to the top with the panel of 13 voters for the weekly power rankings continuing to show their belief in the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild.
The Blue Jackets, who opened the month at No. 8, are third this week, a byproduct of their 10-game winning streak, the longest in their history, and 12-game point streak (11-0-1), which is one shy of tying the record for longest in their history.
The Wild, who have won eight consecutive games, are up to No. 7 this week after coming back into the Super 16 at No. 10 last week. They were six points short of receiving enough points to be ranked in the Super 16 two weeks ago.

The rankings are calculated by a points-based system based on the votes by the 13 participating 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 Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers also moved up in the rankings this week from where they were last week. The same 16 teams that earned enough points to be ranked last week are again ranked this week. Only one other team received points.
Check out where they all landed once the math was finished, and be sure to stay for the information:

1. Pittsburgh Penguins (21-7-5)

Total points: 202
Last week: No. 1
Hit: Evgeni Malkin (37 points), Sidney Crosby (36 points) and Phil Kessel (33 points) are among the top nine scorers in the League, but the Penguins' depth arguably has been their biggest asset. They have nine players with at least 15 points and 15 with at least 10.
Miss: Pittsburgh's defensive depth is being tested with Kris Letang (lower body) and Trevor Daley (upper body) out of the lineup. The good news is the Penguins are passing the test; they have allowed five goals in the three games Letang has missed, including the past two without Daley.

2. Chicago Blackhawks (22-9-4)

Total points: 189
Last week: No. 2
Hit:Corey Crawford was taken off injured reserve Tuesday and could return to the Blackhawks net Friday, when they host the Colorado Avalanche.
Miss: Jonathan Toews hasn't scored a goal since Nov. 6. Granted, he missed nine straight games from Nov. 25-Dec. 11, but he has just four goals in 26 games this season.

3. Columbus Blue Jackets (21-5-4)

Total points: 184
Last week: No. 4
Hit:Fifteen players have combined for the 37 goals Columbus has scored during its 10-game winning streak. Sam Gagner and Cam Atkinson each has six, and Brandon Saad has five.
Miss: Can't find any for the third straight week.

4. Montreal Canadiens (21-7-4)

Total points: 161
Last week:No. 3
Hit: Paul Byron quietly is having the best season of his NHL career. He has 11 goals and 19 points in 32 games. Byron already has tied his career high in goals, set last season in 62 games, and he's two points shy of tying his career high in points.
Miss: Andrei Markov will miss his second consecutive game Thursday against the Minnesota Wild with a lower-body injury. The 38-year-old defenseman also may not play against the Blue Jackets on Friday.

5. New York Rangers (23-11-1)

Total points: 157
Last week: No. 5
Hit: Henrik Lundqvist has rediscovered his complete game after sitting out for four in a row. He has three wins, a 0.98 goals-against average and .967 save percentage in his past three starts.
Miss:The Rangers have allowed 13 goals in their past two games against the Penguins.

6. Washington Capitals (19-8-4)

Total points: 137
Last week: No. 6
Hit: Typically known for their offense, the Capitals have gotten defensive this season. They are second in the League in 5-on-5 goals-against (40), third in goals-against per game (2.13) and sixth in shots-against per game (28.4). They also are 17-0-0 when scoring three goals or more.
Miss: Lars Eller, who was brought in to add some scoring punch in a third-line center role, had no goals in 18 consecutive games before scoring in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday. He has six points in 30 games.

7. Minnesota Wild (19-8-4)

Total points: 135
Last week:No. 10
Hit:The Wild have won eight in a row. They are one win away from tying their record for longest winning streak (March 8-24, 2007).
Miss: Nothing to see here.

8. San Jose Sharks (20-12-1)

Total points: 121
Last week: No. 7
Hit: The Sharks have scored at least three goals in four of their past five games. They are 4-0 in those games. They had scored at least three goals in four of their previous 12 games.
Miss:They're scoring and winning in spite of their power play, which is 3-for-25 in the past five games.

9. Philadelphia Flyers (20-11-4)

Total points: 103
Last week: No. 9
Hit:The Flyers lead the Eastern Conference in one-goal wins. They have 12 after the 3-2 shootout victory against the Capitals on Wednesday.
Miss: Rookie forward Travis Konecny, who got off to a strong start to the season with four goals and 10 points in 15 games, has no goals and six assists in his past 20 games.

10. St. Louis Blues (18-11-5)

Total points: 98
Last week:No. 8
Hit: David Perron, who has been good in his return to the Blues, finally got a significant result for his play Tuesday, when he scored in overtime to give St. Louis a 3-2 win against the Dallas Stars. Perron hadn't scored and had one assist in his previous 10 games. He has 18 points in 34 games this season.
Miss: For a team that prides itself on being hard to play against, the Blues have had two power plays in the past three games and seven in the past five. They've had one or no power plays in five of their past eight games.

11. Ottawa Senators (19-11-3)

Total points: 80
Last week:No. 13
Hit: The Senators are 9-6-0 on the road, including 7-3-0 in their past 10 road games. They were 17-21-3 on the road last season, when they missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs by 11 points.
Miss:The two goalies Ottawa was counting on this season are out of the lineup. Craig Anderson is on personal leave, and Andrew Hammond has an ankle injury.

12. Anaheim Ducks (17-12-5)

Total points: 66
Last week:No. 11
Hit: The Ducks have scored three or more goals in nine of their past 13 games and are 7-2 in those games.
Miss: Jonathan Bernier has allowed 12 goals on 89 shots in his past three starts for a .865 save percentage.

13. Edmonton Oilers (18-12-5)

Total points: 43
Last week: No. 16
Hit: The Oilers are 17-for-59 on the power play (28.8 percent) in their past 16 games. It's a massive upgrade from the 8-for-53 (15.1 percent) they were through their first 19 games.
Miss:They are tied with the Winnipeg Jets for the worst winning percentage in the Western Conference when leading after the first period (4-4-2, .500).

14. Boston Bruins (17-14-3)

Total points: 32
Last week: No. 12
Hit: The Bruins have had seven games with 41 or more shots on goal, including a season-high 50 against the New York Islanders on Tuesday.
Miss: They are 2-3-2 in those games, including a 4-2 loss to the Islanders.

15. Nashville Predators (15-12-5)

Total points: 25
Last week: No. 14
Hit: Backup goalie Juuse Saros hasn't played much, but he's given the Predators mostly quality starts. Saros has allowed one goal in four of his five starts and has a 1.40 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage.
Miss: P.K. Subban has missed three consecutive games with an upper-body injury.

16. Calgary Flames (17-16-2)

Total points: 19
Last week: No. 15
Hit: The Flames are 15-for-42 on the power play (35.7 percent) in their past 14 games. They were last in the NHL at 8.5 percent (6-for-71) a month ago.
Miss: Calgary is 1-3-0 with 16 goals-against in the four games since its six-game winning streak. The Flames allowed nine goals during the winning streak.
Others receiving points:Los Angeles Kings 18
Dropped out from last week: None
HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM
ARPON BASU
1. Columbus Blue Jackets; 2. Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. Montreal Canadiens; 4. Chicago Blackhawks; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. New York Rangers; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. Ottawa Senators; 11. Nashville Predators; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Boston Bruins
AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Chicago Blackhawks; 4. Columbus Blue Jackets; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Philadelphia Flyers; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. San Jose Sharks; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Nashville Predators
TIM CAMPBELL
1. Chicago Blackhawks; 2. Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Montreal Canadiens; 5. Columbus Blue Jackets; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. Philadelphia Flyers; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Nashville Predators
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Chicago Blackhawks; 3. Columbus Blue Jackets; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Philadelphia Flyers; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Ottawa Senators; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Edmonton Oilers; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Nashville Predators
NICK COTSONIKA
1. Columbus Blue Jackets; 2. Montreal Canadiens; 3. Pittsburgh Penguins; 4. Chicago Blackhawks; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. New York Rangers; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Ottawa Senators; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Nashville Predators; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Boston Bruins
LISA DILLMAN
1. Columbus Blue Jackets; 2. Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. Chicago Blackhawks; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. New York Rangers; 8. Philadelphia Flyers; 9. San Jose Sharks; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Nashville Predators; 16. Calgary Flames
TOM GULITTI
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Columbus Blue Jackets; 3. Chicago Blackhawks; 4. Montreal Canadiens; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Philadelphia Flyers; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Nashville Predators; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Calgary Flames
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Chicago Blackhawks; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Columbus Blue Jackets; 5; Minnesota Wild; 6. San Jose Sharks; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. Montreal Canadiens; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Calgary Flames
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Columbus Blue Jackets; 3. Chicago Blackhawks; 4. Montreal Canadiens; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. San Jose Sharks; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Boston Bruins
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Chicago Blackhawks; 2. Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Columbus Blue Jackets; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Philadelphia Flyers; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. San Jose Sharks; 10. Ottawa Senators; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Boston Bruins. 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Calgary Flames
BILL PRICE
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Chicago Blackhawks; 3. Columbus Blue Jackets; 4. Montreal Canadiens; 5. New York Rangers; 6. San Jose Sharks; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Ottawa Senators; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Calgary Flames: 14. Nashville Predators; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Edmonton Oilers
SHAWN ROARKE
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Chicago Blackhawks; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Columbus Blue Jackets; 5. San Jose Sharks; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. St. Louis Blues; 8. New York Rangers; 9 Minnesota Wild; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Calgary Flames; 14. Nashville Predators, 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Los Angeles Kings
DAN ROSEN
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Chicago Blackhawks; 3. Columbus Blue Jackets; 4. Montreal Canadiens; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. San Jose Sharks; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. Minnesota Wild; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Nashville Predators; 16. Boston Bruins