Super 16: Wild crack top 10

The Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning are the top two teams in NHL.com's Super 16 power rankings for the second consecutive week.

The Predators are No. 1, and the Lightning No. 2. We're hours away from figuring out if that's the way it should be.
Tampa Bay and Nashville play each other for the first of two times in November, at Amalie Arena on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; SUN, FS-TN, NHL.TV). Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said each side should be looking at it as an early-season measuring stick.
"Any time you can go against an elite team like Nashville, it's always great to see where you stand," Stamkos said. "I'm sure they're looking at it the same way. From that point, for sure, it's a big game. It's still Nov. 1, really early in the season and there is still so much hockey to be played, but absolutely you're excited to play against a team that has shown in the past couple of years to be a very elite team in this league. You want to see where your team is at."

The Lightning and Predators split their season series last season, with Tampa Bay winning at Nashville 4-3 in overtime on Jan. 23 and Nashville winning at Tampa Bay 4-1 on April 1.
Nashville won the Presidents' Trophy with 117 points before losing in seven games to the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference Second Round. Tampa Bay finished with 113 points and lost in seven games to the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference Final.
"Any time you play a team that's really good, you want to go out there and show them that you can play just as well or that you're just as good of a team," Stamkos said. "You want to go out there and prove that you are one of the elite teams."
To create the power rankings, each of the 13 staff members put together his or her version of what 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.
Here is latest Super 16, with some news and notes to follow for each team:

1. Nashville Predators (9-3-0)

Total points: 203
Last week: No. 1
Hit: Goalie Pekka Rinne was activated off injured reserve Wednesday. He missed five games with an undisclosed injury.
Miss: The Predators have allowed at least one power-play goal in four straight games. They are 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) on the penalty kill in those games.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning (8-2-1)

Total points: 200
Last week: No. 2
Hit: The Lightning are 5-0-0 against Eastern Conference opponents, outscoring them 25-9, including an extra goal earned for a season-opening 2-1 shootout win against the Florida Panthers.
Miss: Defenseman Victor Hedman has missed two games with an upper-body injury and will be re-evaluated Saturday.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs (8-4-0)

Total points: 160
Last week: No. 4
Hit:Nazem Kadri has scored in three straight games after going without a goal in the first nine games.
Miss: Other than center Auston Matthews being out four weeks with a shoulder injury, an obvious miss, the stat of note that fits here is that the Maple Leafs have allowed the first goal in nine of their 12 games. They're 5-4-0 in those games.

4. Boston Bruins (7-3-2)

Total points: 150
Last week: No. 6
Hit:Jaroslav Halak is 4-0-2 with a 1.52 goals-against average and .947 save percentage in seven games, including six starts, in the backup role behind Tuukka Rask. Halak has allowed four goals on 92 shots in his past three starts (.957 save percentage).
Miss: Defenseman Charlie McAvoy has missed the past five games with an upper-body injury. He was put on injured reserve Tuesday, retroactive to Oct. 18, to make room for defenseman Torey Krug to be activated.

5. Winnipeg Jets (7-4-1)

Total points: 147
Last week: No. 3
Hit: Mark Scheifele has four goals and four assists in a five-game point streak.
Miss:Patrik Laine has not had a point in five straight games.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins (6-2-2)

Total points: 146
Last week: No. 5
Hit: Sidney Crosby has six goals on a four-game goal streak.
Miss: Forward Derick Brassard will miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury when the Penguins play the New York Islanders at Barclays Center on Thursday.

7. Colorado Avalanche (7-3-2)

Total points: 136
Last week: No. 7
Hit: Mikko Rantanen finished October with 21 points (five goals, 16 assists), tying Joe Sakic's Avalanche record for most points and assists in the month of October. Sakic had five goals and 16 assists in October 1996.
Miss: Alex Kerfoot and Tyson Jost, two of Colorado's forwards who need to step up as secondary scorers, each has no goals since they each scored against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 11. That's an eight-game drought for Kerfoot and a seven-game drought for Jost, who did not play against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 27 because of a head injury.

8. San Jose Sharks (6-3-3)

Total points: 127
Last week: No. 9
Hit: Brent Burns (three goals, 12 assists) and Timo Meier (eight goals, five assists) each has at least one point in nine consecutive games. Burns' streak is the longest by a defenseman in Sharks history.
Miss: Evander Kane has no goals in eight games after scoring four in San Jose's first four games. The good news is he has six assists and is getting shots off. Kane has 23 shots on goal during his eight-game drought.

9. Washington Capitals (5-3-2)

Total points: 98
Last week: No. 8
Hit: The Capitals have scored at least one power-play goal in seven of their 10 games and at least two in four of them. They are first in the NHL on the power play (37.1 percent).
Miss: They have allowed a power-play goal in seven consecutive games and in eight of their 10. They are 25th in the NHL on the penalty kill (72.5 percent).

10. Minnesota Wild (7-3-2)

Total points: 97
Last week: No. 15
Hit:The Wild, who are 6-1-0 in their past seven games, are 5-0-2 in games decided by one goal. Their power play is 5-for-13 in the past three games after going 3-for-3 in a 4-3 win at the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. It was 3-for-26 in the first nine games.
Miss: Nothing to see here right now for the Wild.

11. Chicago Blackhawks (6-4-3)

Total points: 63
Last week: No. 11
Hit: Patrick Kane had six goals and four assists in a six-game point streak before he was sidelined Wednesday for a 4-2 loss at the Vancouver Canucks because he was ill. He had at least one point in 10 of Chicago's first 11 games, and his 11 goals are tied for most in the NHL with Bruins forward David Pastrnak.
Miss: The Blackhawks are 26th in the NHL on the power play (14.0 percent) and tied for 18th on the penalty kill (77.5 percent).

12. Calgary Flames (7-5-1)

Total points: 54
Last week: NR
Hit:The Flames have won four of their past five road games, including a back-to-back at Toronto and Buffalo this week.
Miss: Forward James Neal has three points (two goals, one assist) in 13 games. He signed a five-year contract with Calgary on July 2.

13. Montreal Canadiens (6-3-2)

Total points: 52
Last week: No. 12
Hit: The Canadiens have scored the first goal in seven of their 11 games, going 4-1-2 in those games. They have outscored the opposition 27-18 in the first and second periods this season.
Miss: Forward Andrew Shaw has been a healthy scratch the past two games. He has no points in his past five games and played a season-low 8:42 at Buffalo on Oct. 25. He could be back soon because forward Paul Byron sustained a lower-body injury in a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.

14. Carolina Hurricanes (6-5-1)

Total points: 29
Last week: No. 10
Hit:Sebastian Aho (four goals, 13 assists) joined Wayne Gretzky and Ken Linseman as the only players in NHL history to have a streak of 12 straight games with an assist to start a season. Aho also set the Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers record for most consecutive games with a point to start a season. Ron Francis previously held the record at 11.
Miss:The Hurricanes have been held to two or fewer goals in five of their past seven games, all regulation losses.

15. New York Islanders (6-4-1)

Total points: 27
Last week: NR
Hit: The Islanders are 4-0-0 against Metropolitan Division teams this season. They've won six straight games against divisional opponents dating to last season.
Miss: Goalie Robin Lehner left a 6-3 win against the Penguins on Tuesday after the second period because of what coach Barry Trotz called a "little strain." He is considered day to day. It's not clear if he'll be able to play against the Penguins on Thursday.

16. New Jersey Devils (5-3-1)

Total points: 21
Last week: No. 13
Hit:Goalie Cory Schneider made his season debut in relief of Keith Kinkaid in an 8-3 loss to the Lightning on Tuesday. Schneider missed the first eight games recovering from offseason hip surgery.
Miss: Kinkaid has allowed 20 goals on 163 shots (.877 save percentage) in his past five starts. He allowed four goals on 103 shots (.961 save percentage) in his first four starts.
Others receiving points: Edmonton Oilers 18, Buffalo Sabres 12, Columbus Blue Jackets 10, Arizona Coyotes 8, Vegas Golden Knights 7, Dallas Stars 2
Dropped out: Anaheim Ducks (No. 14), Vegas Golden Knights (No. 16)

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. San Jose Sharks; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Carolina Hurricanes; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Calgary Flames; 13. Chicago Blackhawks; 14. Montreal Canadiens; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. New York Islanders
TIM CAMPBELL
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Pittsburgh Penguins; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Minnesota Wild; 10. Chicago Blackhawks; 11. Montreal Canadiens; 12. Calgary Flames; 13. Buffalo Sabres; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Edmonton Oilers
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Montreal Canadiens; 10. Chicago Blackhawks; 11. Calgary Flames; 12. New York Islanders; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Buffalo Sabres
NICK COTSONIKA
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Pittsburgh Penguins; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. San Jose Sharks; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Vegas Golden Knights; 12. Chicago Blackhawks; 13. Montreal Canadiens; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. New York Islanders; 16. Edmonton Oilers
TOM GULITTI
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Pittsburgh Penguins; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. San Jose Sharks; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Chicago Blackhawks; 12. Montreal Canadiens; 13. Calgary Flames; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. New York Islanders
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. San Jose Sharks; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Boston Bruins; 8. Carolina Hurricanes; 9. Calgary Flames; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Winnipeg Jets; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Buffalo Sabres; 14. New York Islanders; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Chicago Blackhawks
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Pittsburgh Penguins; 6. San Jose Sharks; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Chicago Blackhawks; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Carolina Hurricanes; 14. Montreal Canadiens; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. New York Islanders
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. San Jose Sharks; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Washington Capitals; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Minnesota Wild; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Chicago Blackhawks; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Vegas Golden Knights
TRACEY MYERS
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. San Jose Sharks; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Carolina Hurricanes; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. New York Islanders; 14. Arizona Coyotes; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Chicago Blackhawks
BILL PRICE
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Calgary Flames; 9. Minnesota Wild; 10. San Jose Sharks; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. Chicago Blackhawks; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Edmonton Oilers
SHAWN ROARKE
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Pittsburgh Penguins; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. San Jose Sharks; 10. Calgary Flames; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Montreal Canadiens; 13. Arizona Coyotes; 14. Chicago Blackhawks; 15. Dallas Stars; 16. Carolina Hurricanes
DAN ROSEN
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Pittsburgh Penguins; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Boston Bruins; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. San Jose Sharks; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Chicago Blackhawks; 12. Montreal Canadiens; 13. New York Islanders; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Arizona Coyotes
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Pittsburgh Penguins; 4. Washington Capitals; 5. San Jose Sharks; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Boston Bruins; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. Montreal Canadiens; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Chicago Blackhawks; 13. Calgary Flames; 14. Buffalo Sabres; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. New Jersey Devils