Super 16: Predators remain in top spot

The top five teams in NHL.com's Super 16 power rankings remained in the same order for the second consecutive week, with the Nashville Predators again finishing as the unanimous No. 1 in a poll of 14 staff members.
The Toronto Maple Leafs moved up two spots to No. 7, the Columbus Blue Jackets moved into the top 10 at No. 9, and the New Jersey Devils moved up three spots to No. 12.

The San Jose Sharks had the biggest drop, four spots to No. 10.
The Philadelphia Flyers got back in at No. 15, and the Arizona Coyotes, who are tied for fifth in the NHL with 36 points since Feb. 8 (17-8-2), got one rankings point for the first time this season.

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.
This is the final Super 16 of the 2017-18 season.

1. Nashville Predators (51-18-11)

Total points:224
Last week:No. 1
Hit:The Predators, who have already set their record for most points in a season with 113, need one win to set their record for a season. They won 51 games in 2006-07.
Miss:They have been shorthanded a League-high 51 times in 12 games since March 13. The next closest team is the Washington Capitals (41 times shorthanded in 11 games).

2. Boston Bruins (49-18-12)

Total points:198
Last week:No. 2
Hit:The Bruins are 9-0-1 at home since Feb. 13. They will have home-ice advantage to start the Stanley Cup Playoffs and could have it all the way through at least the Eastern Conference Final.
Miss:Defenseman Brandon Carlo needs surgery to repair a fractured left ankle and will miss the remainder of the season. Carlo, in his second season, missed the playoffs last season because of a concussion after playing all 82 regular-season games.

3. Winnipeg Jets (50-20-10)

Total points: 197
Last week:No. 3
Hit:The Jets are 16-0-2 in the regular season in April since April 10, 2014. They haven't lost a regular-season game in the month since April 7, 2014 (1-0 to the Minnesota Wild). However, they lost the four playoff games they played in April 2015.
Miss:They've allowed at least one power-play goal in three consecutive games and in six of seven since March 23. They're 19-for-28 on the penalty kill (67.8 percent) in those seven games.

4. Tampa Bay Lightning (53-23-4)

Total points:185
Last week:No. 4
Hit:Brayden Point, with 31 goals and 545 face-off wins, joined Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos as the only players in Lightning history to score 30 goals and win 500 face-offs in the same season. Point, a center, is one of 11 players in the NHL this season with at least 30 goals and 500 face-off wins.
Miss:Stamkos, the captain, has a lower-body injury, but the expectation is that he will be ready when the playoffs begin next week.

5. Vegas Golden Knights (51-22-7)

Total points:166
Last week:No. 5
Hit: The Golden Knights are sixth in the NHL on the penalty kill at 87.3 percent (48-for-55) in 18 games since Feb. 27. They are second in win-loss differential on shorthanded face-offs at plus-9 (50-41) in that time. They were 17th on the PK at 79.9 percent (139-for-174) and had a win-loss differential on shorthanded face-offs of minus-42 (188-146) in their first 62 games.
Miss:David Perron has missed four consecutive games with an undisclosed injury. The forward's 66 points (16 goals, 50 assists) are third on the Golden Knights.

6. Washington Capitals (48-25-7)

Total points:152
Last week:No. 7
Hit:Nicklas Backstrom has at least 20 goals for the third straight season and needs two points to get to at least 70 points for the fifth straight season. The center needs four points to get to 800 in the NHL.
Miss: Center Jay Beagle is day to day with an upper-body injury.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs (48-25-7)

Total points:124
Last week:No. 9
Hit:The Maple Leafs are a League-best 48.5 percent on the power play (16-for-33) in 13 games since March 5.
Miss:Frederik Andersen is 26th in the NHL with a 3.31 goals-against average and 22nd with a .906 save percentage among the 30 goalies who have played at least 15 games since Feb. 3. Andersen has played 21 games..

8. Pittsburgh Penguins (45-29-6)

Total points:123
Last week: No. 8
Hit:Patric Hornqvist has four goals and two assists in a five-game point streak. The forward has 12 points (nine goals, three assists) in 12 games since March 10.
Miss: The Penguins are 3-5-1 against Eastern Conference teams that have either clinched or remain in contention to clinch a playoff berth since Feb. 24. One of those wins was in regulation (5-2 against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 7).

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9. Columbus Blue Jackets (45-29-6)

Total points: 110
Last week:No. 11
Hit:The Blue Jackets have trailed by as many as three goals in three of their past four games but are 2-0-1.
Miss:Each of the three comebacks was against a non-playoff team (Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings).

10. San Jose Sharks (44-26-10)

Total points: 105
Last week:No. 6
Hit: Brent Burns, with 54 assists, is the first Sharks defenseman to have at least 50 in a season.
Miss:The Sharks have lost four in a row since March 27 and have been outscored 7-1 after the second period in those games.

11. Minnesota Wild (44-26-10)

Total points: 89
Last week:No. 10
Hit:The Wild got at least a point in 31 of their final 34 home games (dating to Nov. 14), going 24-3-7 for 55 points. They finished with 62 home points, one behind their record set in 2006-07. They are tied with the Jets for the most home points in the League this season. Winnipeg has two more home games.
Miss: They're going to start the playoffs on the road, where they are 17-20-2.

12. New Jersey Devils (43-28-9)

Total points:63
Last week:No. 15
Hit: Taylor Hall, who leads the Devils with 93 points (39 goals, 54 assists), has 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) during a nine-game point streak. The left wing has 42 more points than anyone else on the Devils; center Nico Hischier is second with 51.
Miss:They're 6-0-1 in their past seven games with a power play that is scoring at 38.1 percent (8-for-21) and a penalty kill that is 82.3 percent (14-for-17).

13. Los Angeles Kings (44-28-8)

Total points:62
Last week:No. 13
Hit:With two games remaining, defenseman Drew Doughty has set an NHL career high with 49 assists and tied his career high with 59 points.
Miss:Jake Muzzin has missed three games with an upper-body injury. The defenseman is week to week.

14. Anaheim Ducks (42-25-13)

Total points: 59
Last week: No. 14
Hit:The Ducks have allowed 62 goals since Feb. 4, the fewest in the NHL. They have the second-best penalty kill in the League in that span (87.3 percent) behind the Sharks (87.5).
Miss: Cam Fowler is out 2-6 weeks with a shoulder injury. The defenseman leads the Ducks in ice time per game (24:51), which is 2:07 more than defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who is second. Fowler has 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists).

15. Philadelphia Flyers (40-26-14)

Total points:25
Last week:NR
Hit:Nolan Patrick has four points (three goals, one assist) in his past two games. The rookie center has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 31 games since Jan. 31. He had nine points (three goals, six assists) in his first 40 games.
Miss:The Flyers are 6-7-4 since March 1, including 4-5-2 against teams that have either clinched or remain in contention to clinch a playoff berth. They've allowed 60 goals in 17 games since then, the most among playoff or potential playoff teams.

16. Colorado Avalanche (42-29-9)

Total points: 16
Last week:No. 16
Hit: Rookie forward Alex Kerfoot has scored in back-to-back games, and rookie forward Tyson Jost has three goals in his past three games. With 19 goals, Kerfoot needs one to give the Avalanche a rookie 20-goal scorer in back-to-back seasons. Mikko Rantanen scored 20 goals in 2016-17.
Miss: The Avalanche are 2-4-1 with 13 goals, including seven at even strength, since March 22. Only the Calgary Flames have scored fewer goals (six) in that span.
Dropped out:St. Louis Blues (No. 12)
Others receiving points: Blues 5, Arizona Coyotes 1

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

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