Super 16: Ducks, Hurricanes crack top 10

One shootout win was enough to convince the voters to keep the Tampa Bay Lightning as the top team in the NHL.com Super 16.

The Lightning, who defeated the Florida Panthers 2-1 in a shootout in their season opener Saturday and haven't played since, retained their spot as the No. 1 team with all 13 voting staff members including them somewhere in the top five of their rankings.
Tampa Bay was No. 1
in the preseason Super 16 that came out Oct. 3
.
In addition, one week was enough to convince the voters that the Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes belong in the Super 16. They each made it into the top 10 this week after being unranked last week. The Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks also are in this week after falling short last week.

To create the Super 16, each participating staff member put 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.
Here is the latest Super 16, with some news and notes to follow for each team:

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (1-0-0)

Total points: 185Preseason: No. 1
Hit: The Lightning got a shorthanded goal from center Anthony Cirelli and went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill, including 3-for-3 in the third period, in their win against the Panthers. That's significant considering their penalty kill was a major issue last season, when it was 28th in the NHL at 76.1 percent.
Miss:They were 0-for-3 on the power play and outshot 43-29 by the Panthers, including 16-4 in the first period, which was played entirely at 5-on-5.

2. Winnipeg Jets (2-1-0)

Total points: 173Preseason: No. 3
Hit:Kyle Connor has scored in each of the three games. The forward scored 31 goals in 76 games last season. The Jets have allowed one goal in two of their first three games.
Miss: Nikolaj Ehlers has no points and four shots on goal in three games. The forward is averaging 12:07 of ice time per game. He had 60 points (29 goals, 31 assists) and averaged 16:05 of ice time in 82 games last season.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs (3-1-0)

Total points: 167Preseason: No. 6
Hit: Auston Matthews and John Tavares, their top two centers, have combined to score 13 of Toronto's 20 goals through four games. Matthews has seven; Tavares has six.
Miss: Toronto has allowed 17 goals in four games.

4. Nashville Predators (2-1-0)

Total points: 163Preseason: No. 4
Hit:The Predators have gotten nine points (two goals, seven assists) from their defensemen after leading the NHL in points from defensemen with 206 last season.
Miss: They're 0-for-6 on the power play in three games, including 0-for-4 in a 3-0 loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

5. Washington Capitals (2-0-1)

Total points: 159Preseason: No. 5
Hit: Michal Kempny returned to the lineup against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday. The defenseman missed the first three games with an upper-body injury sustained in a preseason game Sept. 25.
Miss:Forward Andre Burakovsky had no points and two shots on goal in Washington's first three games.

6. San Jose Sharks (2-2-0)

Total points: 139Preseason: No. 2
Hit: Evander Kane has four goals in four games. The forward, who signed a seven-year contract with the Sharks on May 24 after being acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 26, has scored 12 goals in 21 regular-season games with San Jose.
Miss: The top power-play unit, which includes defensemen Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns, and forwards Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl, has scored one goal on its first 15 chances. It came in an 8-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, when San Jose went 2-for-5 on the power play after starting the season 0-for-10.

7. Boston Bruins (2-1-0)

Total points: 117Preseason: No. 9
Hit: The top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak has 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in three games. The line combined for 11 points (five goals, six assists) in a 6-3 win against the Ottawa Senators on Monday.
Miss: Boston has four points (two goals, two assists) from forwards on its bottom three lines, including none from Danton Heinen, David Backes and Anders Bjork, who made up the third line against the Senators.

8. Anaheim Ducks (3-0-1)

Total points: 93Preseason rank: NR
Hit:Rookie forward Max Comtois had three points (two goals, one assist) in his first four NHL games before being held without a point in a 3-2 shootout loss against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday. Goalie John Gibson has allowed six goals on 134 shots (.955 save percentage) in his first four starts.
Miss: The Ducks are playing without four of their top nine forwards: Ryan Getzlaf (lower body), Corey Perry (knee), Ondrej Kase (concussion) and
Nick Ritchie
(unsigned, restricted free agent).

9. Pittsburgh Penguins (1-1-0)

Total points: 92Preseason: No. 8
Hit: Kris Letang is off to a strong start with four points (two goals, two assists) in two games, including the overtime goal in a 7-6 win against the Capitals on Oct. 4. He broke Paul Coffey's Penguins record for points by a defenseman (441) with an assist in a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
Miss: Matt Murray, the Penguins' No. 1 goalie, is out indefinitely with a concussion. It's his third concussion since the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

10. Carolina Hurricanes (3-0-1)

Total points: 72Preseason rank: NR
Hit:The Hurricanes have outscored the opposition 16-7 at 5-on-5 through four games with goals from nine players.
Miss: They've been outscored 4-1 on special teams.

11. Vegas Golden Knights (1-3-0)

Total points: 67Preseason: No. 7
Hit: Cody Eakin made his season debut against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. The forward missed the first three games with a lower-body injury.
Miss: Paul Stastny is out with a lower-body injury. The center missed the game against the Capitals and will be out at least two more games, coach Gerard Gallant said. He didn't have a point in the first three games.

12. Columbus Blue Jackets (2-1-0)

Total points: 61Preseason: No. 11
Hit:In the absence of defenseman Seth Jones, who is on injured reserve with a knee injury, defenseman Markus Nutivaara is playing well in 19:24 of ice time per game. Nutivaara has two assists and had a Columbus-high seven shots on goal in a 5-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. He had 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) and averaged 16:02 of ice time in 61 games last season.
Miss: Brandon Dubinsky will be out 4-6 weeks because of a strained oblique muscle. The forward had a point in each of the first two games (one goal, one assist) and won 68.8 percent of his face-offs.

13. Dallas Stars (2-1-0)

Total points: 59Preseason: No. 12
Hit: The top line of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov has 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in three games. Seguin has eight points (three goals, five assists); Benn has seven points (three goals, four assists); Radulov has six points (three goals, three assists).
Miss: Dallas has one goal from the other 10 forwards. Devin Shore scored in the season opener against the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 4.

14. Calgary Flames (2-1-0)

Total points: 51Preseason: No. 15
Hit: Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm, who make up the No. 1 line, have 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in the past two games, each a win. Gaudreau has six points (one goal, five assists); Monahan and Lindholm each have scored three goals.
Miss: Travis Hamonic remains out of the lineup with a facial fracture. The defenseman is on injured reserve and is week to week.

15. Colorado Avalanche (2-1-0)

Total points: 37Preseason rank: NR
Hit:The Avalanche have scored at least one goal in seven of the nine periods they've played. Center Nathan MacKinnon has scored in each of the first three games for the first time in his NHL career.
Miss: Philipp Grubauer struggled in his first start with the Avalanche, allowing four goals on 34 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Colorado acquired Grubauer in a trade with Washington on June 22.

16. Chicago Blackhawks (2-0-1)

Total points: 36Preseason rank: NR
Hit: Jonathan Toews has scored five goals through three games. The center scored an NHL career low 20 goals in 74 games last season.
Miss:Forward Brandon Saad has one point, an assist, and five shots on goal in three games.
Others receiving points:Los Angeles Kings 25, St. Louis Blues 23, New Jersey Devils 20, New York Islanders 11, Florida Panthers 9, Buffalo Sabres 5, Montreal Canadiens 4
Dropped out: St. Louis Blues (No. 10), Florida Panthers (No. 13), Philadelphia Flyers (No. 14), Los Angeles Kings (No. 16)

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

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