Super 16: Penguins No. 1 again

In the words of Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella, the NHL is an unforgiving league. The NHL.com Super 16 voters are as well.
After being a unanimous No. 1 last week because of their 16-game winning streak, the Blue Jackets, losers of three of their past four games, dropped from their perch this week, falling only to No. 2 but barely holding off the Washington Capitals.

The Pittsburgh Penguins moved back into the top spot this week by receiving seven No. 1 votes from the panel of 13 staff members who vote on the Super 16 on a weekly basis. Brian Compton was the only one who didn't have Pittsburgh first or second. He had them at No. 3.

The Penguins were No. 1 for three straight weeks before being overtaken by Columbus in the past two weeks.
The Blue Jackets finished No. 2 this week because they still received five No. 1 votes, two No. 2 votes and two No. 3 votes. They were, however, ranked as low as No. 5 by Tom Gulitti.
The Chicago Blackhawks received the other No. 1 vote but finished No. 4.
Not to be overlooked, the Toronto Maple Leafs cracked the poll for the first time this season, edging the Los Angeles Kings by two points.
Check out where they all landed once the math was finished, and be sure stay for the information:

1. Pittsburgh Penguins (26-9-5)

Total points: 201
Last week: No. 2
Hit: A deeper look at the Penguins success this season shows domination of the Atlantic and Pacific Divisions. Pittsburgh is a combined 15-1-4 against those two divisions.
Miss: The schedule gets tough for the Penguins, who started a stretch of nine games in 16 days leading into the All-Star break at the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Four of their next five games are on the road.

2. Columbus Blue Jackets (28-8-4)

Total points: 189
Last week: No. 1
Hit: Forward Cam Atkinson is on pace for 41 goals, 82 points and 248 shots on goal, several notches above his previous career highs of 27 goals, 53 points and 226 shots, numbers he put up last season.
Miss: The Blue Jackets have lost three of their past four games since winning 16 straight and have allowed five goals in each of the losses, 16 goals total in the four games. They allowed a total of 27 goals during their 16-game winning streak.

3. Washington Capitals (27-9-5)

Total points: 180
Last week: No. 5
Hit: The Capitals went into their game against the Penguins on Wednesday healthy and with a remarkably low 10 man-games lost to injury this season.
Miss: Dare we wonder if, or when, their luck will turn?

4. Chicago Blackhawks (27-12-5)

Total points: 168
Last week: No. 4
Hit: The Blackhawks have 15 goals from 10 different players, including four from forward Ryan Hartman, during their current four-game winning streak.
Miss: Five of the nine goals they've allowed during that streak have come in the second period. Chicago has a minus-6 goal differential in the second period; it's plus-22 all other times.

5. Minnesota Wild (25-9-5)

Total points: 161
Last week: No. 3
Hit: The Wild play six of their final nine games before the All-Star break at home, where they are 13-4-0.
Miss: Their home game against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday starts a stretch of 19 games in 38 days, including three sets of back-to-backs.

6. New York Rangers (28-13-1)

Total points: 147
Last week: No. 7
Hit: After scoring two goals in 19 games from Nov. 23-Jan. 3, forward Michael Grabner has five, including a hat trick against the Blue Jackets, in the past two games. He had 12 goals in his first 20 games, so the Rangers are no doubt hoping this is the beginning of another extended hot streak.
Miss: Forward Jimmy Vesey has one goal in the past 12 games and 11 shots on goal in the past 11.

7. Montreal Canadiens (26-10-6)

Total points: 131
Last week: No. 6
Hit: Forwards Alex Galchenyuk (knee) and Andrew Shaw (concussion) and defenseman Andrei Markov (lower body) practiced Monday, a good indication each is getting close to playing again.
Miss: Forwared Brendan Gallagher is out at least eight weeks following hand surgery, necessary because of friendly fire. He was hit in the left hand by slap shot from defenseman Shea Weber during Montreal's 4-3 overtime win against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 4.

8. San Jose Sharks (25-15-2)

Total points: 121
Last week: No. 8
Hit: The Sharks are 14-5-1 at home this season, a major difference from last season, when they were 8-12-0 in their first 20 games at SAP Center and finished 18-20-3.
Miss: Forward Tomas Hertl missed his 25th straight game Wednesday with a right knee sprain, but the good news is he practiced this week and hopes to return early next month.

9. Anaheim Ducks (22-13-8)

Total points: 99
Last week: No. 10
Hit: The Ducks are 5-1-3 with 16 goals allowed in 10 games since losing 5-1 at Montreal on Dec. 20.
Miss: Forward Corey Perry has no goals in the past 13 games, and that's not even his longest goal drought of the season. He went 18 games without a goal from Oct. 28-Dec. 4.

10. St. Louis Blues (21-15-5)

Total points: 82
Last week: No. 9
Hit: Defenseman Colton Parayko scored his first goal of the season in the Blues 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. It came on his 102nd shot of the season.
Miss: The Blues have a .911 save percentage at 5-on-5; in the Western Conference, only the Colorado Avalanche (.909) are worse.

11. Edmonton Oilers (21-15-7)

Total points: 79
Last week: No. 11
Hit: The Oilers have done most of their feasting this season on the Western Conference, going 14-5-5 against West teams as opposed to 7-10-2 against Eastern Conference teams.
Miss: Forward Jordan Eberle has gone 14 straight games without a goal.

12. Ottawa Senators (21-14-4)

Total points: 53
Last week: No. 12
Hit:Goaltender Mike Condon has appeared in 16 consecutive games and has posted a .914 save percentage, good enough to stabilize the Senators unstable goaltending situation.
Miss:Forward Bobby Ryan has no points in his past five games and was scratched for an undisclosed reason against Washington on Saturday.

13. Boston Bruins (22-17-5)

Total points: 52
Last week: No. 16
Hit: Forward Brad Marchand, who was named to the Atlantic Division All-Star team on Tuesday, has five goals in the past three games.
Miss: The Bruins have a minus-6 goal differential in the third period despite being plus-79 in shots on goal.

14. Philadelphia Flyers (21-16-6)

Total points: 28
Last week: No. 13
Hit: Cener Brayden Schenn has goals in back-to-back games and seven points in the past seven.
Miss: The Flyers are 2-6-3 in 11 games since their 10-game winning streak ended.

15. Calgary Flames (23-19-2)

Total points: 27
Last week: No. 15
Hit: The Flames won't play a game outside of Canada until they visit the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 3.
Miss: Three of those games in Canada are in the East; the Flames play at the Toronto Maple Leafs, Canadiens and Senators in a four-day span going into the All-Star break. That starts a stretch in which the Flames play 11 of 14 games on the road, where they are 11-9-2.

16. Toronto Maple Leafs (18-13-8)

Total points: 23
Last week: NR
Hit: Center Auston Matthews has 15 goals in the past 20 games after scoring two in a span of 18 games following his four-goal NHL debut.
Miss:The Maple Leafs are minus-10 in goal differential in the third period, a far cry from their plus-17 in the first two periods.
Others receiving points: Los Angeles Kings 21, Carolina Hurricanes 4, Nashville Predators 2
Dropped out from last week: Los Angeles Kings
HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM
ARPON BASU
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Columbus Blue Jackets; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. New York Rangers; 7. Chicago Blackhawks; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Toronto Maple Leafs; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Philadelphia Flyers
AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Columbus Blue Jackets; 2. Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Chicago Blackhawks; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Calgary Flames; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Toronto Maple Leafs; 16. Boston Bruins
TIM CAMPBELL
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Columbus Blue Jackets; 4. Chicago Blackhawks; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. New York Rangers; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Calgary Flames
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Columbus Blue Jackets; 2. Chicago Blackhawks; 3. Pittsburgh Penguins; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. St. Louis Blues; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Carolina Hurricanes; 16. Toronto Maple Leafs
NICK COTSONIKA
1. Columbus Blue Jackets; 2. Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. New York Rangers; 7. Chicago Blackhawks; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Ottawa Senators; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Edmonton Oilers; 13. Toronto Maple Leafs; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Carolina Hurricanes
LISA DILLMAN
1. Columbus Blue Jackets; 2. Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Chicago Blackhawks; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Anaheim Ducks; 11. Calgary Flames; 12. St. Louis Blues; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Toronto Maple Leafs; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Los Angeles Kings
TOM GULITTI
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Chicago Blackhawks; 5. Columbus Blue Jackets; 6. New York Rangers; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Calgary Flames
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Chicago Blackhawks; 2. Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. Columbus Blue Jackets; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. San Jose Sharks; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. Montreal Canadiens; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Ottawa Senators; 16. Calgary Flames
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Columbus Blue Jackets; 2. Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Chicago Blackhawks; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. St. Louis Blues; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Toronto Maple Leafs
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Columbus Blue Jackets; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Chicago Blackhawks; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. New York Rangers; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Ottawa Senators; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. St. Louis Blues; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Toronto Maple Leafs; 16. Philadelphia Flyers
BILL PRICE
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Columbus Blue Jackets; 3. Chicago Blackhawks; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Calgary Flames; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Nashville Predators; 16. Toronto Maple Leafs
SHAWN ROARKE
1. Pittsburgh Penguins, 2. Chicago Blackhawks, 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Columbus Blue Jackets; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. San Jose Sharks; 7. New York Rangers; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. Montreal Canadiens; 10. Anaheim Ducks; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Calgary Flames; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Toronto Maple Leafs; 16. Los Angeles Kings
DAN ROSEN
1. Pittsburgh Penguins; 2. Chicago Blackhawks; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Columbus Blue Jackets; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. New York Rangers; 7. San Jose Sharks; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Anaheim Ducks; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. St. Louis Blues; 13. Toronto Maple Leafs; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Carolina Hurricanes