Super 16: Sabres continue rise, Senators enter power rankings

All 32 teams have played at least 10 games since the NHL returned from the break for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

It's a big enough sample size now to take stock into how everyone has done reintegrating back into the NHL season after a long time away.

The good news: It's been more of the same from many of the top teams, and some that were near the bottom not long ago have continued their climb up the standings and into contention to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs such as the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets.

The bad news: Some of the teams that should be near the top and have been all season, namely the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights, have struggled since returning, and others that needed a post-Olympic surge have not gotten it.

The Super 16 this week is here to analyze how the top 16 teams in the League, at least how we see the top 16, have fared since the break, what's working and what might need tweaking or all together fixing.

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 post-Olympic returns edition of the Super 16:

1. Colorado Avalanche (44-13-9)

Total points: 229

Last week: No. 1

"Though Nathan MacKinnon gets all the attention with the Avalanche, and rightfully so, Martin Necas has been one of the hottest players in the NHL since the Olympics. The forward had nine goals entering Wednesday since play resumed Feb. 25, most in the NHL, and 19 points that was one behind the leader Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. MacKinnon is no slouch either, with 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) since coming back from Milan. That is a huge 1-2 punch that will be hard for anyone to handle come the postseason." – Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

2. Dallas Stars (42-15-10)

Total points: 228

Last week: No. 2

"How have the Stars done since the Olympic break? It says here they have done swimmingly. They were 8-0-1 in their first nine games and extended the run to 15, which tied a Dallas/Minnesota North Stars record. They scored 42 goals and allowed 23 entering Wednesday, not a bad ratio at all. Their power-play, a strength all season, was 27.8 percent. Four players averaged more than a point per game led by Wyatt Johnston's 15 points (eight goals, seven assists). Goalie Jake Oettinger, who won a gold medal with Team USA, was 5-0-1 with a 1.96 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. There's a reason this team will have a say in who raises the Presidents' Trophy." -- Shawn P. Roarke, director of editorial 

3. Buffalo Sabres (42-20-6)

Total points: 213

Last week: No. 4

"What's worked for the Sabres since the break? Pretty much everything. How do you find warts on a team that's10-1-0 after returning to action? The Sabres have outscored opponents 41-24, symbolizing the dominance that has rocketed them to the top of the Atlantic Division standings. Perhaps the most encouraging sign is how they've tightened up defensively and received stellar goaltending, two recipes for success. To that point, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen earned his first shutout of the season in Buffalo's 2-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena, one of the most difficult buildings for opposing teams to play. Not for the Sabres. Right now, they're a difficult out wherever they play." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

4. Carolina Hurricanes (42-19-6)

Total points: 195

Last week: No. 3

"The Hurricanes haven't been as consistent as they were prior to the break. They will need to defend better. They allowed 3.40 goals per game in 10 games through Wednesday (6-4-0) after giving 2.81 before the Olympics. Carolina was tied with the Philadelphia Flyers for 29th on the penalty kill (72.4 percent; 21-for-29) since Feb. 25, 11th (80.6 percent) before that. The positive? Many star players are producing, including forwards Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrei Svechnikov. They continue to get positive play out of their young players too, including defenseman Alexander Nikishin, 24, and forward Jackson Blake, 22." -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

5. Minnesota Wild (39-18-12)

Total points: 180

Last week: No. 5

"The Wild are 5-4-2 since the break, which assumes a mixed bag for how they've played, but really that's not so much the case. They're scoring 3.09 goals per game and allowing 2.55. Their special teams have been solid, 23.7 percent on the power play and 89.7 percent on the penalty kill. They have wins against the Avalanche (5-2), Lightning (5-1), Utah Mammoth (5-0) and Golden Knights (4-2). They lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Avalanche but weren't that great with consecutive losses to three teams out of the playoff race: the Philadelphia Flyers (3-2 in a shootout), New York Rangers (4-2) and Toronto Maple Leafs (4-2). The Wild needed overtime to win 4-3 against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Things could be better, but overall the Wild are in a good place and can focus on little details of their game heading down the stretch." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

6. Tampa Bay Lightning (41-21-4)

Total points: 163

Last week: No. 6

"The Lightning were on a 19-1-1 run entering the Olympic break but haven't come close to discovering that level since play resumed. After winning their first game back, they're 3-7-0. Defensive play has been a major issue; they've allowed at least four goals in a game seven times in 11 games and 30.5 shots against per game. Offensively, they've been strong, averaging 3.45 goals per game and Kucherov playing at a Hart Trophy level with 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 11 games. But that scoring won't help when they can't outscore their mistakes the other way." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

7. Montreal Canadiens (37-20-10)

Total points: 145

Last week: No. 7

"The Canadiens are 5-3-2 in 10 games since the break. It's far from perfect, but not the end of the world. They've have given up too many goals (34) but scored 37. Goalie Jacob Fowler was recalled from Laval of the American Hockey League on March 11. He is 1-1-0, allowing six goals on 62 shots in two starts for a 3.05 goals-against average and .903 save percentage." – Jean-Francois Chaumont, senior writer LNH.com 

8. New York Islanders (39-24-5)

Total points: 132

Last week: No. 8

"The Islanders have won seven of 10 since returning from the break and control their own destiny when it comes to clinching a playoff berth. Matthew Schaefer has four goals and six assists in that span, the defenseman continuing his march to the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. What shouldn't be overlooked is the play of forward Mathew Barzal, who is averaging 1.20 points per game (12 points; one goal, 11 assists), including three assists in a 3-1 win at the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Barzal still maintains the ability to dazzle when he has the puck on his stick and has been a force the past three weeks." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

9. Pittsburgh Penguins (34-18-15)

Total points: 117

Last week: No. 9

"The Penguins got Sidney Crosby back Wednesday after the forward missed 11 games with a lower-body injury while playing for Team Canada at the Olympics. They continued to thrive despite missing their captain and losing Evgeni Malkin for five games because of a suspension. Others picked up the slack like Anthony Mantha, who has NHL career-highs in goals (26), assists (26) and points (52) through Wednesday, and Erik Karlsson, who is playing at that the level that helped him win the Norris Trophy voted as the League's top defenseman three times." -- Tom Gulitti, senior writer

10. Columbus Blue Jackets (35-21-11)

Total points: 88

Last week: No. 13

"The Blue Jackets have picked up right where they left off before the break, continuing their surge up the standings in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference. They're 6-1-4 since the break. They're fourth in the division, but just two points behind the Penguins and Islanders, who are tied for second. They're one point behind the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings, who are in the two wild-card spots. Adam Fantilli and Charlie Coyle each have 13 points in 11 games since the break to lead the Blue Jackets. Kirill Marchenko has six goals and Conor Garland, acquired before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6, has four goals in six games. The Blue Jackets' .727 points percentage is second in the Eastern Conference behind the Sabres (.909), so, yes, they're still looking up in the standings, but things continue to look up in Columbus." -- Rosen

11. Boston Bruins (37-23-8)

Total points: 82

Last week: No. 12

"It's been a mixed bag since the Bruins came back from the break with four medals -- gold for Jeremy Swayman and Charlie McAvoy, and bronze for Joonas Korpisalo and Henri Jokiharju. They're 5-3-3 and particularly notable have been the points left on the table in their past two games, overtime losses to the New Jersey Devils and Canadiens. Most concerning for the Bruins is how their power play has gone cold. They are 1-for-13 in their past four games and 5-for-39 (12.8 percent) since the break after going 44-for-167 (26.3 percent, third in the NHL) up until that point." -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

12. Anaheim Ducks (37-27-3)

Total points: 71

Last week: No. 11

"The Ducks were 7-4-0 coming out of the break entering Wednesday. That's not bad, but they're definitely looking for more to finish first in a Pacific Division that is up grabs. It helps that they got back Troy Terry, who had three points (goal, two assists) in a 4-3 win against the Canadiens on March 15 after the forward missed nine games with an upper-body injury. John Carlson, acquired in a trade with the Washington Capitals on March 6, made his Anaheim debut against Montreal, playing 22:59. He'll also be a big help to the Ducks in these final regular-season games." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

13. Detroit Red Wings (37-23-8)

Total points: 60

Last week: No. 10

"The Red Wings are 4-4-2 since the break, falling from third in the Atlantic Division to the second wild card into the playoffs from the East. While they've given up 2.80 goals per game in that span, ninth in the NHL, they've scored 2.60 goals per game, tied for 25th. The big issue right now is lower-body injuries to their top two centers. Captain Dylan Larkin has missed five games. Andrew Copp has missed three." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

14. Ottawa Senators (34-23-9)

Total points: 37

Last week: Not ranked

"The Senators have played their way into the playoff race in the Eastern Conference with a strong push coming out of the break after winning five of their final six games going into it. They were 6-1-2 in nine games entering Wednesday. They've been somewhat dynamic offensively and stout defensively, scoring 3.78 goals per game and allowing 2.33. They've gotten balanced scoring, with an exceptional push from forward Drake Batherson (team highs of eight goals and 10 points). There's still work to be done, but the Senators are pushing and playing meaningful games. It wasn't long ago that there were questions in Ottawa if that would happen this season." -- Rosen

15. Utah Mammoth (35-27-6)

Total points: 34

Last week: No. 16

"Utah is 5-4-2 in 11 games since the break. Dylan Guenther and Clayton Keller each have 11 points in that span. Starting goalie Karel Vejmelka, who played for Team Czechia at the Olympics, has struggled with a 3.49 goals-against average and .866 save percentage but backup Vitek Vanecek has picked up the slack (1.98 GAA, .917 save percentage). Utah may not move up into a top-three spot in the Central but has played well enough that it has a cushion in the wild-card race and is playing meaningful games down the stretch." -- David Satriano, staff writer

16. Edmonton Oilers (34-26-9)

Total points: 30

Last week: No. 15

"It has been a defense-first attitude for the Oilers since the returning from the break. Edmonton is focusing on playing better defensively and acquired defenseman Connor Murphy, and forwards Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach, from the Chicago Blackhawks prior to the Deadline to help. Defending will become even more of a priority with star forward Leon Draisaitl out for the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury sustained in a 3-1 win against the Nashville Predators on March 15. Going into the break, Edmonton was allowing 3.29 goals per game. It's now up to 3.73 goals per game, so the Oilers still have work to do. Goalie Connor Ingram has taken over the No. 1 role from Tristan Jarry and is 5-2-1 with a 2.77 GAA and .893 save percentage in nine games (eight starts) since the break. If Ingram continues to trend in the right direction and the Oilers can play well in front of him, they should be able to chip away at the goals-against toward the end of the season and into the playoffs. Their success depends on it with Draisaitl and his 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) in 65 games no longer in the lineup." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer 

Dropped out from last week: Golden Knights (No. 14)

Others receiving points: Golden Knights 29, Seattle Kraken 4, Philadelphia Flyers 3

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Dallas Stars; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Buffalo Sabres; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Anaheim Ducks; 9. New York Islanders; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. Detroit Red Wings; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Vegas Golden Knights

JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAUMONT

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Buffalo Sabres; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Anaheim Ducks; 11. Columbus Blue Jackets; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Vegas Golden Knights

BRIAN COMPTON

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Buffalo Sabres; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Columbus Blue Jackets; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Philadelphia Flyers

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Buffalo Sabres; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. New York Islanders; 10. Columbus Blue Jackets; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Philadelphia Flyers; 16. Vegas Golden Knights

TOM GULITTI

1. Dallas Stars; 2. Buffalo Sabres; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Columbus Blue Jackets; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Vegas Golden Knights; 16. Edmonton Oilers

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Buffalo Sabres; 4. Tampa Bay Lightning; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Anaheim Ducks; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Vegas Golden Knights; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Montreal Canadiens; 12. Utah Mammoth; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. Detroit Red Wings

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Buffalo Sabres; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. New York Islanders; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Columbus Blue Jackets; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Edmonton Oilers

TRACEY MYERS 

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Buffalo Sabres; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. New York Islanders; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Vegas Golden Knights; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Utah Mammoth

BILL PRICE

1. Buffalo Sabres; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Columbus Blue Jackets; 11. Anaheim Ducks; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Utah Mammoth; 15. Seattle Kraken; 16. Boston Bruins

SHAWN P. ROARKE 

1. Dallas Stars; 2. Buffalo Sabres; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Columbus Blue Jackets; 10. Anaheim Ducks; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Utah Mammoth; 13. New York Islanders; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Seattle Kraken; 16. Vegas Golden Knights

DAN ROSEN

1. Dallas Stars; 2. Buffalo Sabres; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. New York Islanders; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Columbus Blue Jackets; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Utah Mammoth; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Ottawa Senators; 16. Edmonton Oilers

DAVID SATRIANO

1. Buffalo Sabres; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. New York Islanders; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Columbus Blue Jackets; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Anaheim Ducks

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Buffalo Sabres; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. New York Islanders; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Vegas Golden Knights; 16. Edmonton Oilers

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Buffalo Sabres; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. New York Islanders; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Columbus Blue Jackets; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Utah Mammoth

MIKE ZEISBERGER

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