Super 16: Analysis, questions for teams entering Stanley Cup Playoffs

The field is set for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the brackets will be finalized Thursday.

We're two days away from the puck dropping on the greatest postseason in North American professional sports, and with that will come predictions, analysis, and questions.

We'll have our predictions at another time, but the final Super 16 of the regular season is here to dive into the analysis and questions facing each of the 16 teams that will be vying for the Stanley Cup.

Every team ranked this week is in the playoffs, with the Los Angeles Kings bumping the Columbus Blue Jackets.

As always, to come up with the Super 16, the 15 voters this week put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like and a point total was assigned to each, with the team selected first given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on.

Here is the analysis and questions entering the playoffs edition of the Super 16:

1. Colorado Avalanche (54-16-11)

Total points: 239
Last week: No. 1

"The Avalanche are entering the playoffs looking like they have all season -- great. They're coming off a 3-1 win at the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, marking their seventh straight road win and wrap up their schedule at home against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. Cale Makar had three assists in his return after missing seven games with an upper-body injury, so he's back to normal. Forward Nazem Kadri (finger) and defenseman Josh Manson (upper body) are out, but it sounds like Kadri should be back close to the start of the postseason. Same with coach Jared Bednar, who's missed the past two games after taking a puck to the face. Those who have been in Colorado’s lineup have just kept rolling." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

2. Carolina Hurricanes (53-22-7)

Total points: 217
Last week: No. 2

"The bottom line for the Hurricanes is they have home-ice advantage for as long as they remain alive in the Eastern Conference, and this team was built for this time of the year as long as they get consistent goaltending. With that in mind, Carolina could get a reinforcement back in goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, who was thought to be lost for the remainder of the season due to injury on Dec. 29. The 26-year-old made two starts while on a conditioning loan to Chicago of the American Hockey League last week and was recalled on Monday. Coach Rod Brind'Amour might roll with Brandon Bussi and Frederik Andersen to start the playoffs. In April, Bussi had a 2.68 goals-against average and .876 save percentage in four games; Andersen had a 2.26 GAA and .902 save percentage in four games." -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

3. Dallas Stars (49-20-12)

Total points: 210
Last week: No. 3

"The Stars are banged up heading into their first-round series against the Minnesota Wild. Roope Hintz will not play in Games 1 or 2 at minimum; Dallas' No. 1 center has been out since sustaining a lower-body injury on March 6. It's not known if Hintz will be able to play at all in the first round. Miro Heiskanen missed the last three games of the regular season with a lower-body injury, but the Stars are hopeful he’ll be ready for the postseason opener. The Stars have home-ice advantage and a deep lineup, one that will be tested at least in the early part of the first round. There's no room for error against Minnesota, which makes things dicey for Dallas." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

4. Buffalo Sabres (50-23-8)

Total points: 199
Last week: No. 4

"If momentum truly is a legitimate factor heading into the playoffs, then the Sabres are a force to be reckoned with. Not satisfied with just qualifying for the postseason for the first time since 2011, the Sabres reeled off four consecutive victories down the stretch, including a 5-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday to clinch the Atlantic Division, their first division crown since the 2009-10 season. Backup goalie Alex Lyon, who has been out a week with a strained lower-body muscle, is questionable for the start of the first round against the Boston Bruins. Buffalo does hope to have rookie forward Noah Ostlund back from the upper-body injury that's sidelined him for three weeks. On a more pessimistic note, the Sabres will be without feisty forward Sam Carrick because of an arm injury." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

5. Tampa Bay Lightning (50-25-6)

Total points: 179
Last week: No. 5

"The Lightning hit a brief bump in the road -- literally -- last week when they lost three straight at the Sabres, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, a skid that cost them the Atlantic Division title. But they still have home-ice advantage for their first-round matchup against Montreal, which is huge. Tampa Bay has the postseason experience and a loud home crowd on its side. And considering how Nikita Kucherov is playing, the Lightning are as dangerous as any team entering the playoffs." -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

6. Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10)

Total points: 162
Last week: No. 6

"Cole Caufield reached the magic 50-goal mark, and Nick Suzuki surpassed 100 points. Since returning from the Olympics, the Canadiens maintained one of the best records in the NHL (16-7-2). Late in the season, they defeated the Lightning twice, once in Tampa and once in Montreal. The biggest concern is the health of defenseman Noah Dobson, who missed the last two games of the regular season due to an upper-body injury; he is expected to miss the start of the first round. Alexandre Carrier, another right-handed defenseman, could also miss the beginning of the series; sidelined with an upper-body injury for 2-4 weeks, Carrier has not played since March 31." -- Jean-Francois Chaumont, LNH.com senior writer

7. Minnesota Wild (46-24-12)

Total points: 152
Last week: No. 7

"The Wild did not play as well as they would have liked down the stretch, losing to the Stars, who are their first-round opponent, the Nashville Predators and the St. Louis Blues before maybe getting a reprieve in a 3-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks in their regular-season finale on Tuesday. Jesper Wallstedt made 35 saves against the Ducks, further muddying the goaltending situation in Minnesota between Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson. Wallstedt has clearly been the better of the two since the Olympic break with a 2.37 GAA and .919 save percentage in 12 games, including 10 starts, as opposed to Gustavsson (2.82, .895) in 14 starts. But Gustavsson has been more of Minnesota's go-to goalie this season, and he has played 11 playoff games compared to Wallstedt's zero. The Wild don't have time to iron this out, so if it's Gustavsson in Game 1 against Dallas, he’ll need to play well or Wallstedt could get the start in a Game 2 that would take on a completely different feel." -- Rosen

8. Boston Bruins (45-27-10)

Total points: 128
Last week: No. 9

"The Bruins were not trending well for a while, with a five-game skid that nearly derailed their once-solid position. But they righted the ship just in time to clinch a berth, finishing out with a win against the Blue Jackets and the New Jersey Devils to end the season on a high note. They enter the playoffs relatively healthy and ready to face the Sabres, but are they the team that looked like world beaters in taking out Buffalo, Minnesota, Columbus and Dallas at the end of March, or are they the team that lost games at Florida, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia and Carolina? Hard to know exactly who the Bruins are at this point. Nothing would surprise me." -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

9. Pittsburgh Penguins (41-25-16)

Total points: 108
Last week: No. 8

"The Penguins were locked into second place in the Metropolitan Division with three games remaining and utilized them to let players with minor bumps and bruises get some extra time to heal heading into their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers. So, they should be relatively healthy to begin the postseason, other than question marks around depth forwards Blake Lizotte (upper body) and Connor Dewar (lower body). Pittsburgh was rolling, winning five of six, before taking the foot off the gas. The Penguins will have to flip the switch back on for Game 1 against the Flyers." -- Tom Gulitti, senior writer

10. Philadelphia Flyers (43-27-12)

Total points: 98
Last week: No. 10

"The Flyers' hottest players entering the playoffs are two of their youngest in forwards Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone. Michkov had a goal and two assists against the Canadiens on Tuesday to finish the regular season with goals (three) and points (six) in three straight, and the 21-year-old had a team-best 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 26 games since the 2026 Winter Olympics. And then there's Martone, the 19-year-old who arrived from Michigan State on March 29 and had 10 points (four goals, six assists) and 32 shots on goal in nine games. Since Martone's debut March 31, Philadelphia has averaged 3.67 goals per game, up from 2.84 in its first 73." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

11. Vegas Golden Knights (38-26-17)

Total points: 91
Last week: No. 14

"It seemed shocking at the time. Why would the Golden Knights fire Bruce Cassidy -- the coach who led them to the Stanley Cup in 2023 -- when they were still third in the Pacific Division with eight games to go? Well, as of the coaching change March 29, they were in an 8-15-4 funk, including 5-10-2 after the Olympic break and 1-5-2 in their previous eight games. Since John Tortorella has taken over, they've gotten the kick in the pants they've needed. Vegas was 6-0-1 in its past seven and had a chance to clinch the Pacific entering its game against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

12. Ottawa Senators (43-27-11)

Total points: 87
Last week: No. 11

"The Senators are one of the hottest teams in the League. Since March 1, they have 14 wins and have averaged 3.55 goals per game. Ottawa has dealt with injuries all season but appears to be getting healthy. Defenseman Nick Jensen is likely out for the season, but key defensemen Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson are considered day to day, as is top forward Tim Stutzle. Each is expected to play at the start of the postseason and help make the Senators a tough out after clinching a wild-card berth in the East." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

13. Utah Mammoth (43-32-6)

Total points: 60
Last week: No. 12

"The Mammoth should feel confident going into the playoffs. Karel Vejmelka leads all goalies with 62 starts and has proven capable of being a No. 1. His 38 wins are second in the NHL. Offensively, they have six 20-goal scorers including Dylan Guenther, who has a career-high 40. Utah also has an Olympic gold-medal winner in Clayton Keller, a two-time Stanley Cup winner in Mikhail Sergachev, and Nate Schmidt, who won the Cup with the Florida Panthers last season. It may be their first playoff appearance, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Mammoth make some noise. We at least know Delta Center will be loud." -- David Satriano, staff writer

14. Edmonton Oilers (40-30-11)

Total points: 56
Last week: No. 13

"The biggest question for the Oilers heading into the playoffs is the health of forward Leon Draisaitl. The 30-year-old sustained a lower body injury in a 3-1 win against the Nashville Predators on March 15 and has missed 13 games. He is not expected to play in the regular-season finale against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. Edmonton hopes Draisaitl is back at some point in the first round, although it's not guaranteed he will be ready for Game 1. He is skating with the team after spending a week on the ice on his own while the Oilers were on a three-game road trip. Draisaitl had 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) in 65 games prior to his injury. His return will be vital to the Oilers’ Stanley Cup aspirations after they lost in the Cup Final in back-to-back seasons, losing to the Panthers each time." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

15. Anaheim Ducks (42-33-6)

Total points: 23
Last week: No. 15

"The Ducks are limping into the playoffs, and there's no real way to spin it. This is a team that essentially has crawled across the finish line, losing eight of its last nine (1-6-2) and dropping five straight along the way to teams that missed the postseason. Anaheim has allowed 4.11 goals per game over that stretch, and the penalty kill had a success rate of 63.6 percent. But Cutter Gauthier and Radko Gudas are back from injury, two players who are likely to play key roles in any success the Ducks may have in their first postseason appearance since 2018." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

16. Los Angeles Kings (35-26-20)

Total points: 21
Last week: Not ranked

"The Kings are rolling at the right time; they are 6-0-2 in their past eight games and have a .700 points percentage (8-2-5) since March 15. They enter their season finale at the Calgary Flames on Thursday still unaware of their opponent in the first round, but they will certainly be a handful to play against considering they are relatively healthy. They also have a goalie who has won it all in Darcy Kuemper, who hoisted the Cup with the Avalanche in 2022. Kudos to D.J. Smith, who seems to have his players buying in since he replaced Jim Hiller as coach on March 1." -- Brian Compton, managing editor  

Dropped out from last week: Columbus Blue Jackets (No. 16)

Others receiving points: Washington Capitals 10

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM 

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Buffalo Sabres; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Ottawa Senators; 11. Utah Mammoth; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Los Angeles Kings

JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAUMONT

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Buffalo Sabres; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Vegas Golden Knights; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Utah Mammoth; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Los Angeles Kings

BRIAN COMPTON

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Buffalo Sabres; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Ottawa Senators; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Anaheim Ducks

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Buffalo Sabres; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Ottawa Senators; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. Philadelphia Flyers; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Los Angeles Kings

TOM GULITTI

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Buffalo Sabres; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Los Angeles Kings

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Buffalo Sabres; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Philadelphia Flyers; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Los Angeles Kings

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Buffalo Sabres; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Boston Bruins; 8. Minnesota Wild; 9. Ottawa Senators; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Utah Mammoth; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Los Angeles Kings

TRACEY MYERS 

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Buffalo Sabres; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Los Angeles Kings

BILL PRICE

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Buffalo Sabres; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Los Angeles Kings

SHAWN P. ROARKE 

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Buffalo Sabres; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Boston Bruins; 8. Minnesota Wild; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Vegas Golden Knights; 11. Philadelphia Flyers; 12. Utah Mammoth; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Washington Capitals

DAN ROSEN

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Buffalo Sabres; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Philadelphia Flyers; 10. Vegas Golden Knights; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Los Angeles Kings

DAVID SATRIANO

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Buffalo Sabres; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Boston Bruins; 8. Minnesota Wild; 9. Philadelphia Flyers; 10. Vegas Golden Knights; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Utah Mammoth; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Los Angeles Kings

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Buffalo Sabres; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Philadelphia Flyers; 10. Ottawa Senators; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Utah Mammoth; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Anaheim Ducks

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Buffalo Sabres; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Philadelphia Flyers; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Utah Mammoth; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Vegas Golden Knights; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Los Angeles Kings

MIKE ZEISBERGER

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Buffalo Sabres; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Philadelphia Flyers; 16. Los Angeles Kings