Super 16: Lightning start season at No. 1

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the first to get the honor -- or target, depending on how you see it -- of being the No. 1 team in the first NHL.com Super 16 for the 2018-19 season.

The Lightning were ranked in the top three by 11 of the 13 staff members whose votes will make up the Super 16 each week this season. They were ranked No. 1 by four voters, No. 2 by five and No. 3 by four.
The San Jose Sharks also were ranked first by four staff members but finished 11 voting points behind the Lightning at No. 2 because they were ranked No. 2 by two staff members.
To create the Super 16, each of the participating 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 the complete preseason Super 16 (records are from last season), with some news and notes to follow for each team:

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (54-23-5)

Total points: 189
Hit:Forward Nikita Kucherov, who was out with a lower-body injury, returned to practice this week and should be available to play in the season opener against the Florida Panthers at Amalie Arena on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SUN, FS-F, NHL.TV).
Miss: Forward Tyler Johnson remains day to day with an upper-body injury, and it's not clear if he'll be ready for opening night.

2. San Jose Sharks (45-27-10)

Total points: 178
Hit:Erik Karlsson will make his regular-season debut with the Sharks against the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center on Wednesday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN). San Jose acquired the two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Sept. 13.
Miss:The top power-play unit, which features Karlsson and defenseman Brent Burns, along with forwards Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture, allowed three shorthanded goals in San Jose's preseason finale, a 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. The unit also did not score in two preseason games together.

3. Winnipeg Jets (52-20-10)

Total points: 175
Hit:The Jets are healthy going into their season opener against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; FS-MW, TSN3, NHL.TV).
Miss: There are no significant concerns for the Jets entering this season.

4. Nashville Predators (53-18-11)

Total points: 168
Hit:Unlike last season, when Ryan Ellis was out recovering from knee surgery, the Predators should enter their season opener against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, MSG, NHL.TV) with their top four defensemen healthy. Roman Josi is expected to be paired with Ellis, and P.K. Subban with Mattias Ekholm.
Miss: Forward Ryan Hartman, who had offsesaon shoulder surgery, likely will not be ready to play in the opener.

5. Washington Capitals (49-26-7)

Total points: 163
Hit: Eighteen of the 20 players who dressed in the Capitals' Stanley Cup-clinching win in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final at Vegas last season are back.
Miss:Forward Tom Wilson is scheduled to have an in-person hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Wednesday for his hit on Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist on Sunday that resulted in a match penalty for an illegal check to the head. An in-person hearing can carry a suspension of six games or more.

6. Toronto Maple Leafs (49-26-7)

Total points: 138
Hit:CenterJohn Tavares will make his regular-season debut with the Maple Leafs against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; SN, RDS, NHL.TV). Tavares signed a seven-year, $77 million contract July 1.
Miss:William Nylander still hasn't signed a contract. The 22-year-old forward, who had 61 points (20 goals, 41 assists) last season, remains a restricted free agent.

7. Vegas Golden Knights (51-24-7)

Total points: 135
Hit:Forwards Max Pacioretty and Paul Stastny should be on the same line when each makes his debut with the Golden Knights against the Philadelphia Flyers at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN360, TVAS, NBCSP, NHL.TV). Pacioretty, a left wing, was acquired in a trade from the Canadiens on Sept. 10. Vegas signed Stastny, a center, as a free agent July 1.
Miss: Nothing here. The Golden Knights are healthy and went 6-1-0 in the preseason.

8. Pittsburgh Penguins (47-29-6)

Total points: 126
Hit: Rookie defenseman Juuso Riikola arguably was the biggest surprise during training camp. It's likely that the 24-year-old from Finland will start the season on the top pair with Kris Letang. Riikola signed with the Penguins as an unrestricted free agent May 18.
Miss: Brian Dumoulin, who usually would be Letang's partner, sustained an upper-body injury in a preseason game Friday. He's day to day, coach Mike Sullivan said.

9. Boston Bruins (50-20-12)

Total points: 110
Hit: Patrice Bergeron will be in the lineup against the Capitals at Capital One Arena on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVAS). The center didn't play any preseason games because he was recovering from back spasms.
Miss: Defenseman Torey Krug re-injured his left ankle Saturday and will miss the start of the season. Krug, who broke his left ankle in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round last season, will be in a walking boot for three weeks, after which he will be re-evaluated.

10. St. Louis Blues (44-32-6)

Total points: 85
Hit:Goalie Jake Allen made 46 saves on 49 shots during the preseason (.939 save percentage). Allen missed the first portion of training camp with back spasms, but he should start the opener against the Jets on Thursday.
Miss: Sundqvist is expected to be out indefinitely after the hit from Wilson on Sunday, coach Mike Yeo said.

11. Columbus Blue Jackets (45-30-7)

Total points: 50
Hit:Despite being placed on injured reserve Monday, retroactive to Sept. 18, defenseman Ryan Murray, who has been out with a groin injury, is practicing and considered day to day. It's unlikely that he'll be able to play in the season opener against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-O, FS-D, NHL.TV).
Miss:Defenseman Seth Jones will start the season on injured reserve. He has a knee injury that will keep him out 4-6 weeks.

12. Dallas Stars (42-32-8)

Total points: 41
Hit: Jim Montgomery will make his NHL coaching debut when the Stars play the Arizona Coyotes at American Airlines Center on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET; FS-SW, FS-A, NHL.TV). Dallas went 4-2-1 in the preseason.
Miss: Defenseman Stephen Johns has an undisclosed injury and isn't likely to be ready for opening night. The Stars acquired defenseman Connor Carrick in a trade with the Maple Leafs for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft on Monday.

13. Florida Panthers (44-30-8)

Total points: 40
Hit: The projected top line of Evgenii Dadonov, Aleksander Barkov and Nick Bjugstad combined for six goals during the preseason.
Miss:Rookie center Henrik Borgstrom, who was trying to be the third-line center behind Barkov and Vincent Trocheck, didn't make the final roster. Borgstrom will start the season with Springfield in the American Hockey League.

14. Philadelphia Flyers (42-26-14)

Total points: 38
Hit:Sean Couturier and Wayne Simmonds should be in the lineup against Vegas on Thursday. They missed the first seven preseason games with injuries but returned for the preseason finale against the Bruins on Saturday. Couturier, a center, was out with a knee injury. Simmonds, a right wing, was recovering from offseason surgery to repair a tear in his pelvis.
Miss:Goalie Michal Neuvirth will miss the start of the regular season with an undisclosed injury.

15. Calgary Flames (37-35-10)

Total points: 37
Hit:Rookies
Dillon Dube
, a forward, and
Juuso Valimaki
, a defenseman, made the season opening roster and are expected to play in the opener against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; SN, NHL.TV). Dube will likely be the left wing on a line with center Derek Ryan and James Neal. Valimaki should be paired with Mark Stone.
Miss:Forward Curtis Lazar cleared waivers, which is a good sign for Calgary to keep its depth. But it wasn't a good sign for Lazar that the Flames had to put him on waivers in the first place. Dube essentially took his roster spot.

16. Los Angeles Kings (45-29-8)

Total points: 35
Hit:
Ilya Kovalchuk
will play in his first NHL game since April 27, 2013, when he debuts with the Kings against the Sharks at Staples Center on Friday (10:30 p.m. ET; SN360, FS-W, NBCSCA, NHL.TV). Kovalchuk, who played the past five seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League, signed a three-year, $18.75 million contract July 1.
Miss: Dustin Brown is out indefinitely with a broken finger. The veteran forward was injured in the Kings' preseason finale against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.
Others receiving points: New Jersey Devils 17, Colorado Avalanche 14, Edmonton Oilers 14, Minnesota Wild 7, Anaheim Ducks 6, Carolina Hurricanes 1, Arizona Coyotes 1

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

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

MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. San Jose Sharks; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Pittsburgh Penguins; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Nashville Predators; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Calgary Flames; 12. St. Louis Blues; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Colorado Avalanche