Super 16: Bruins make first appearance

The Boston Bruins have arrived.
The Bruins, with wins in back-to-back games and 11 of their past 15 (11-3-1), are in NHL.com's Super 16 power rankings for the first time this season, at No. 13. They were ranked by 13 of the 14 staff writers who contribute to the Super 16, including as high as No. 11 by three.

The Chicago Blackhawks, who dropped out of the Super 16 two weeks ago, are back in at No. 12, largely because they have won five consecutive games.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are No. 1 for the 10th consecutive week, and the Vegas Golden Knights jumped four spots to No. 6.
To create the power rankings, each of the 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 is assigned to each.
The team picked first is given 16 points, second gets 15, third gets 14 and so on down to No. 16, which gets one point.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (24-7-2)

Total points: 221Last week: No. 1
Hit: Mikhail Sergachev is the fourth rookie defenseman in NHL history to score at least five game-winning goals in a season. He scored his fifth against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday and needs two more to tie Dion Phaneuf's NHL rookie defenseman record.
Miss:Right wing Ryan Callahan has missed two games with an upper-body injury.

2. Nashville Predators (21-8-4)

Total points: 210Last week: No. 2
Hit: Forward Kevin Fiala has a point in eight consecutive games (seven goals, four assists), the longest streak by a Predators player this season. He has scored in four straight games.
Miss: The Predators have been outscored 41-30 in the third period, but part of that is because they've had the lead after two in 21 of their 33 games, so opponents are putting on a push to try to get back in the game. It's the closest thing we could find to a miss for Nashville.

3. St. Louis Blues (22-12-2)

Total points: 172Last week: No. 3
Hit: Blues defensemen have scored 24 goals. Only Predators defensemen have scored more (25).
Miss: Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester (lower body) is back on injured reserve and has missed five straight games. He missed the first 21 games with an ankle injury.

4. Los Angeles Kings (21-10-4)

Total points: 168Last week: No. 4
Hit: The Kings lead the NHL with a plus-25 goal differential in the third period (46-21) despite being outshot 341-335.
Miss: They are last in the League in road power play at 8.3 percent (4-for-48).

5. Winnipeg Jets (20-10-5)

Total points: 167Last week: No. 5
Hit: The Jets, who are third in the NHL on the power play (25.2 percent), have scored at least one power-play goal in 19 of their past 26 games. They haven't gone consecutive games without a power-play goal since Oct. 26-27.
Miss: Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien has missed five games and is considered week to week with a lower-body injury.

6. Vegas Golden Knights (22-9-2)

Total points: 157Last week: No. 10
Hit: The Golden Knights are 7-0-1 in their past eight games, averaging 3.38 goals per game. They were 4-for-5 on the power play in a 4-3 win against the Lightning on Tuesday. Forward James Neal has scored five goals in his past seven games and forward David Perron has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in his past six games.
Miss: Nothing of late.

7. Washington Capitals (22-12-1)

Total points: 153Last week: No. 9
Hit:The Capitals have won four in a row for the second time this month, when they are 8-1-0. They are 35-8-7 in December under coach Barry Trotz since the 2014-15 season.
Miss:The only hiccup is they're 1-for-14 on the power play in their past six games and 6-for-10 on the penalty kill in their past three.

8. New Jersey Devils (19-9-5)

Total points: 118Last week: No. 8
Hit:Forward Brian Boyle has back-to-back three-point games (two goals, four assists) and 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in his past 13 games.
Miss:Center Travis Zajac has two goals in 16 games since returning from a pectoral injury. He is averaging 17:04 of ice time per game.

9. Toronto Maple Leafs (21-14-1)

Total points: 115Last week: No. 6
Hit:Center Auston Matthews, who has missed six games with an upper-body injury, is traveling with the Maple Leafs and skating, positive signs that he's getting closer to returning.
Miss: Defenseman Nikita Zaitsev (lower body) is on injured reserve. He has missed two games and is likely to be out at least through the Christmas break, if not beyond New Year's Day.

10. New York Rangers (19-12-3)

Total points: 96Last week: No. 12
Hit: The Rangers are 12-1-1 and have outscored the opposition 56-30 at home since Oct. 26.
Miss: They haven't gotten a goal from a defenseman since Nov. 6, when Kevin Shattenkirk scored his fifth of the season.

11. Columbus Blue Jackets (21-13-1)

Total points: 79Last week: No. 7
Hit: The line of Artemi Panarin, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Josh Anderson combined for 34 points (12 goals, 22 assists) in the past 14 games.
Miss: The Blue Jackets have lost four of their past five in regulation on the road. They play seven of their next 10 games away from Nationwide Arena.

12. Chicago Blackhawks (17-11-5)

Total points: 71Last week: NR
Hit: The Blackhawks have won five in a row, and right wing Patrick Kane has a point in four straight (four goals, three assists), including a goal in three consecutive games.
Miss: They are 2-for-39 on the power play in their past 10 games.

13. Boston Bruins (17-10-5)

Total points: 53Last week: NR
Hit: The Bruins lead the NHL with 81 points (31 goals, 50 assists) from rookies, including 70 from forwards Danton Heinen (eight goals, 14 assists), Jake DeBrusk (eight goals, 10 assists), Anders Bjork (four goals, seven assists) and defenseman Charlie McAvoy (five goals, 14 assists).
Miss:Center David Krejci has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury.

14. New York Islanders (18-13-3)

Total points: 41Last week: No. 11
Hit:Left wing Anders Lee has scored 10 of his Islanders-leading 21 goals in the past 12 games, center John Tavares has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in his past five games, and right wing Josh Bailey has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in his past six.
Miss:Thomas Greiss (.883 save percentage) and Jaroslav Halak (.905 save percentage) have combined for the worst save percentage in the NHL (.892).

15. Minnesota Wild (18-13-3)

Total points: 31Last week: No. 14
Hit:Center Eric Staal has eight points (four goals, four assists) in his past six games.
Miss: Forwards Jason Zucker and Nino Niederreiter have combined for two assists in their past five games.

16. San Jose Sharks (17-11-4)

Total points: 30Last week: No. 13
Hit:Defenseman Brent Burns has 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 13 games since Nov. 22. He had seven points, all assists, in his first 19 games.
Miss:Martin Jones has allowed four or more goals in six straight games (.868 save percentage).
Dropped out:Dallas Stars (No. 15), Pittsburgh Penguins (No. 16)
Others receiving points:Stars, 13; Penguins, 8

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Los Angeles Kings; 4. St. Louis Blues; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. New Jersey Devils; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Columbus Blue Jackets; 12. New York Islanders; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Chicago Blackhawks; 15. Boston Bruins; 16. San Jose Sharks
TIM CAMPBELL
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. St. Louis Blues; 4. Los Angeles Kings; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Chicago Blackhawks; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Columbus Blue Jackets; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Boston Bruins; 14. Dallas Stars; 15. Vegas Golden Knights; 16. San Jose Sharks
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Los Angeles Kings; 4. St. Louis Blues; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Washington Capitals; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. New Jersey Devils; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Chicago Blackhawks; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. Boston Bruins; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. Dallas Stars; 16. New York Islanders
NICK COTSONIKA
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Los Angeles Kings; 5. St. Louis Blues; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. New York Rangers; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Chicago Blackhawks; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. San Jose Sharks; 16. New York Islanders
LISA DILLMAN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Los Angeles Kings; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. St. Louis Blues; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. New York Rangers; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Chicago Blackhawks; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Columbus Blue Jackets
TOM GULITTI
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. St. Louis Blues; 4. Los Angeles Kings; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Vegas Golden Knights; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Columbus Blue Jackets; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Chicago Blackhawks; 14. New York Islanders; 15. San Jose Sharks; 16. Minnesota Wild
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Nashville Predators; 4. St. Louis Blues; 5. Los Angeles Kings; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Columbus Blue Jackets; 12. Chicago Blackhawks; 13. San Jose Sharks; 14. New York Islanders; 15. Pittsburgh Penguins; 16. Minnesota Wild
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. St. Louis Blues; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Los Angeles Kings; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Columbus Blue Jackets; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. New York Rangers; 13. Chicago Blackhawks; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. San Jose Sharks; 16. Dallas Stars
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Nashville Predators; 5. Los Angeles Kings; 6. St. Louis Blues; 7. Columbus Blue Jackets; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. New York Rangers; 11. New Jersey Devils; 12. Chicago Blackhawks; 13. San Jose Sharks; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Dallas Stars; 16. New York Islanders
TRACEY MYERS
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Los Angeles Kings; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. St. Louis Blues; 8. New York Islanders; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. New Jersey Devils; 11. New York Rangers; 12. Chicago Blackhawks; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Boston Bruins; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Dallas Stars
BILL PRICE
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. St. Louis Blues; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. New Jersey Devils; 9. Los Angeles Kings; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Chicago Blackhawks; 12. New York Islanders; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. San Jose Sharks; 15. Minnesota Wild; 16. Boston Bruins
SHAWN ROARKE
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Los Angeles Kings; 5. St. Louis Blues; 6. Columbus Blue Jackets; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. New Jersey Devils; 11. New York Rangers; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. San Jose Sharks; 14. Dallas Stars; 15. New York Islanders; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins
DAN ROSEN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Washington Capitals; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. St. Louis Blues; 7. New York Rangers; 8. New Jersey Devils; 9. Los Angeles Kings; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Chicago Blackhawks; 12. Boston Bruins; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. San Jose Sharks; 16. New York Islanders

MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. St. Louis Blues; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Los Angeles Kings; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Chicago Blackhawks; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. San Jose Sharks; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. New York Islanders; 15. New York Rangers; 16. Dallas Stars