Super 16: Panthers new No. 1; Kings enter power rankings

The Florida Panthers are No. 1 in the weekly NHL.com Super 16 power rankings, knocking out the Carolina Hurricanes by one voting point.

The Panthers received 213 total points after being ranked in the top three by all 14 voters, including four at No. 1 and nine at No. 2.
The Hurricanes were ranked No. 1 by nine of the 14 voters, but three had them at No. 3 and two at No. 4.
To create the NHL.com power rankings, each of the 14 participating staff members puts together his or her version of what they think the Super 16 should look like. Those are submitted and a point total assigned to each.
The team that is selected first is given 16 points, second gets 15, third 14, fourth 13 and so on down to No. 16, which gets one point.
The Panthers received 64 points for their four No. 1 votes, 135 for their nine No. 2 votes, and 14 for their one No. 3 vote to total 213 voting points.
The Hurricanes got 144 points for their nine No. 1 votes, 42 points for their three No. 3 votes, and 26 points for their four No. 4 votes for a total of 212.
Here is the Super 16:

1. Florida Panthers (24-7-5)

Total points: 213Last week: No. 2
The Panthers are 19-3-0 at home. Their home wins lead the NHL and are five more than any team. They have won five straight at FLA Live Arena by a combined score of 29-12.

2. Carolina Hurricanes (24-7-2)

Total points: 212Last week: No. 1
The Hurricanes have outscored opponents 40-15 in the third period for an NHL-best plus-25 goal differential. Their 15 goals allowed in the third period are the fewest in the NHL. They are 21-2-1 when tied or leading entering the third.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning (24-9-5)

Total points: 188Last week: No. 5
Nikita Kucherov scored five points (three goals, two assists) in three games since returning from a lower-body injury that kept the forward out for 32 games. He scored a hat trick in a 6-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, his first three-goal game since March 23, 2017.

4. Colorado Avalanche (22-8-3)

Total points: 174Last week: No. 7
The Avalanche had a five-game winning streak end with a 5-4 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, but they have a points in six straight and are 18-3-2 since Nov. 11. Forward Nazem Kadri has a point in each of the past 13 games he's played since Nov. 27 (23 points; six goals, 17 assists).

5. Toronto Maple Leafs (23-9-3)

Total points: 166Last week: No. 6
Auston Matthews set a Maple Leafs record when he scored a goal in his ninth consecutive road game, a 2-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday. The center has scored an NHL-high 17 goals in 15 games since Nov. 24 and is tied for second in the NHL this season with 24 goals.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins (21-9-5)

Total points: 135Last week: No. 8
The Penguins are third in the Metropolitan Division in points percentage (.671); they were fifth entering play Dec. 4 (.543). Pittsburgh is 11-1-0 since then for an NHL-best .917 points percentage.

7. Nashville Predators (24-11-2)

Total points: 131Last week: No. 11
The Predators are 12-1-1 since Dec. 4. Roman Josi had three assists against the Avalanche on Tuesday to give him 354 with Nashville. The defenseman is two from tying retired forward David Legwand for most in Predators history.

8. New York Rangers (23-10-4)

Total points: 130Last week: No. 4
Mika Zibanejad has scored nine goals in 12 games since Dec. 10. The center scored four goals in 25 games through Dec. 8.

9. Washington Capitals (20-8-9)

Total points: 128Last week: No. 3
The Capitals have lost four in a row (0-2-2), allowing 18 goals. Forward Conor Sheary has scored four points (three goals, one assist) in those games.

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

Total points: 102Last week: No. 9
Jordan Kyrou has scored 11 points (five goals, six assists) in a five-game point streak, including the game-winning goal on the power play at 19:31 of the third period in a 2-1 win against the Dallas Stars on Sunday after getting an assist on Ryan O'Reilly's game-tying power-play goal 18 seconds earlier. The Blues are 9-2-2 since Dec. 4.

11. Vegas Golden Knights (23-14-2)

Total points: 83Last week: No. 10
Chandler Stephenson leads the Golden Knights with 36 points (10 goals, 26 assists) in 38 games, one more point than the center's previous NHL career high of 35 (14 goals, 21 assists) he set in 51 games last season. Vegas is 1-2-2 in its past five.

12. Minnesota Wild (21-10-2)

Total points: 81Last week: No. 12
Forward Mats Zuccarello has a point in four consecutive games (one goal, four assists) and the Wild have won two straight after losing five in a row. They have been playing without forwards Kirill Kaprizov (upper body), Nick Bjugstad (upper body), Brandon Duhaime (NHL COVID-19 protocol), Joel Eriksson Ek (upper body) and Jordan Greenway (protocol); defensemen Jared Spurgeon (lower body), Jonas Brodin (upper body) and Alex Goligoski (protocol); and goalie Cam Talbot (lower body). Duhaime left protocol Wednesday and Eriksson Ek went in Thursday. Kaprizov and Greenway are expected to play against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.

13. Boston Bruins (20-11-2)

Total points: 64Last week: No. 15
Tuukka Rask will make his season debut when the Bruins play the second of a back to back against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNE, SNO, TVAS, NHL LIVE). The goalie, who is first in Bruins history in wins (306) and games played (560) with a 2.27 GAA and .921 save percentage, signed a one-year, $1 million contract Tuesday.

14. Anaheim Ducks (19-13-7)

Total points: 38Last week: No. 14
The Ducks are 2-4-2 since Dec. 17 despite going 29.2 percent on the power play. They're averaging 1.38 goals at 5-on-5 in those eight games after scoring 1.94 goals at 5-on-5 in their first 31, and are averaging 2.25 goals per game after averaging 3.10 per game.

15. Calgary Flames (17-10-6)

Total points: 30Last week: No. 13
The Flames have lost three in a row at Eastern Conference teams ranked in the top five of the Super 16 (Panthers, 6-2; Lightning, 4-1; Hurricanes 6-3). Calgary was 0-for-9 on the power play in those games. Calgary was previously 9-1-2 on the road against the Eastern Conference.

16. Los Angeles Kings (18-13-5)

Total points: 16Last week: NR
The Kings have won four of their past five games and they're 8-3-1 since Dec. 9 with forward Adrian Kempe leading with six goals and forward Trevor Moore with 10 points (three goals, seven assists).
Others receiving points: Dallas Stars 5, San Jose Sharks 4, Edmonton Oilers 3, Winnipeg Jets 1
Dropped out: Jets (No. 16)

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Florida Panthers; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Nashville Predators; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. New York Rangers; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Los Angeles Kings
TIM CAMPBELL
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Florida Panthers; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Vegas Golden Knights; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Calgary Flames; 13. Nashville Predators; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Anaheim Ducks
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Florida Panthers; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Nashville Predators; 8. New York Rangers; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Washington Capitals; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. San Jose Sharks
NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Florida Panthers; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. St. Louis Blues; 8. New York Rangers; 9. Nashville Predators; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Washington Capitals; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Los Angeles Kings
TOM GULITTI
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Florida Panthers; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Nashville Predators; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. New York Rangers; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. St. Louis Blues; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Los Angeles Kings
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Nashville Predators; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Calgary Flames; 13. Boston Bruins; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Edmonton Oilers
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Florida Panthers; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. Nashville Predators; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Los Angeles Kings
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Nashville Predators; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Vegas Golden Knights; 12. New York Rangers; 13. Dallas Stars; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Los Angeles Kings
TRACEY MYERS
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Nashville Predators; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. San Jose Sharks; 16. Calgary Flames
SHAWN P. ROARKE
1. Florida Panthers; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Pittsburgh Penguins; 6. Nashville Predators; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. Vegas Golden Knights; 11. New York Rangers; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Los Angeles Kings
DAN ROSEN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Florida Panthers; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Nashville Predators; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. St. Louis Blues; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Vegas Golden Knights; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Boston Bruins; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Calgary Flames
DAVID SATRIANO
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Florida Panthers; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Nashville Predators; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. San Jose Sharks
PAUL STRIZHEVSKY
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Florida Panthers; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Nashville Predators; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. New York Rangers; 9. Minnesota Wild; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. St. Louis Blues; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Dallas Stars
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Florida Panthers; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. New York Rangers; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. St. Louis Blues; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Vegas Golden Knights; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Nashville Predators; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Calgary Flames; 16. Winnipeg Jets
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