Super 16: Bruins remain No. 1, Kraken rise in power rankings

The Seattle Kraken had never been ranked in the NHL.com Super 16 power rankings until three weeks ago, when the two-year-old team debuted at No. 9.

They've been in it every week since and this week are No. 6, up five spots from last week because of a six-game winning streak and seven-game point streak.
The top three teams in the Super 16 are the same as they were last week with the Boston Bruins in first, the New Jersey Devils in second and the Vegas Golden Knights in third.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are up four spots to No. 4 and the Winnipeg Jets are up two spots and are now No. 5.
There are some unexpected teams in the top five and spread throughout the Super 16, which is why the theme of the rankings this week is the surprises of the season with participating NHL.com staff writers offering their thoughts for each team.
As a reminder, to come up with the Super 16 each week, the 13 voters put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like. A point total assigned to each with the team selected first is given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on down the line.
Here is the Super 16, with the surprising thoughts from the staff members, whose individual rankings are below:

1. Boston Bruins (19-3-0)

Total points: 206
Last week: No. 1
"The biggest surprise for the Bruins is their sheer dominance, especially at home. They have started the season with 13 consecutive wins at TD Garden, setting a new NHL record, and meaning that new coach Jim Montgomery has yet to leave the building without a rousing rendition of "Dirty Water." Every game certainly hasn't been easy -- note their comeback from 2-0 down to the Carolina Hurricanes on "Black Friday" -- but there seems to be a feeling around the room that each game is theirs for the taking. Some prognosticators had them out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs or a fringe team and yet, they're probably the best team in hockey. Yeah, I'd call that a surprise." -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

2. New Jersey Devils (19-4-0)

Total points: 194
Last week: No. 2
"The Devils have been full of surprises this season, but I think the biggest thus far has been in goal. Vitek Vanecek continues to establish himself as a No. 1 in the NHL and has played an enormous role in New Jersey's remarkable success. Vanecek had a .908 save percentage in each of his two seasons with the Washington Capitals, but his .923 with the Devils is fifth among goalies who have played at least 10 games. Whether he can play at this level for another five months remains to be seen, but Vanecek has proven to be a great addition." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

3. Vegas Golden Knights (17-6-1)

Total points: 178
Last week: No. 3
"The biggest surprise here is how goalie Logan Thompson was more than ready to fill the void left by Robin Lehner, whose hip surgery in August cost him this season. I figured the 25-year-old rookie would be good. I wasn't sure he'd be this good. He's 12-4-0 with a 2.44 goals-against average, .921 save percentage and two shutouts. The Golden Knights were bound to be better this season, considering they almost made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2021-22 despite more than 500-man games lost due to injuries. But Thompson is a big reason they're first in the Pacific Division." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

4. Toronto Maple Leafs (15-5-5)

Total points: 147
Last week: No. 8
"The biggest surprise for the Maple Leafs is their goaltending and defense have held up despite a slew of injuries. Toronto is third in the NHL allowing 2.48 goals per game and tied for fourth with a .933 save percentage 5-on-5. With Matt Murray (5-1-1, 2.44 goals-against average, .927 save percentage) being sidelined from Oct. 12-Nov. 15 with an adductor injury and Ilya Samsonov (7-2-0, 2.09 GAA, .924 save percentage) missing three and a half weeks with a knee injury before returning for a 3-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday,
Erik Kallgren
(3-2-4, 2.67 GAA, .898 save percentage) helped hold the fort in net. On defense, the Maple Leafs are missing Morgan Rielly (knee),
TJ Brodie
(oblique), Jordie Benn (upper body) and Jake Muzzin (neck) but have won five in a row and are 8-0-2 in their past 10 games. It hasn't been because they are outscoring their problems; Toronto is 18th with 3.04 goals per game." -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

5. Winnipeg Jets (14-6-1)

Total points: 135
Last week: No. 7
"The Jets have been one of the biggest surprises so far this season. They have overcome the absence of coach Rick Bowness due to COVID-19. Though they rank in the middle of the pack in goals, they are one of the best in goals against. Connor Hellebuyck (11-5-1, 2.29 GAA, .931 save percentage, three shutouts) has been outstanding and could win the Vezina Trophy like he did in 2020-21, when he was voted the best goalie in the NHL. He was sixth in voting for the Hart Trophy that season. Will he contend for most valuable player again?" -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

6. Seattle Kraken (14-5-3)

Total points: 132
Last week: No. 11
"The biggest surprise for the Kraken has to be their record. For as good as the Golden Knights have been, Seattle is just four points out of first place in the Pacific Division with two games in hand. The Kraken have won six in a row to set a team record. Goalie Martin Jones, who was supposed to be the backup, is 12-4-2 with a 2.90 GAA and has won his past five starts, and Jordan Eberle has seen an offensive resurgence with 21 points in 22 games after having 44 points in 79 games last season." -- David Satriano, staff writer

7. Colorado Avalanche (12-7-1)

Total points: 131
Last week: No. 4
"The biggest surprise for the Stanley Cup champions is that their powerhouse offense is tied for 21st in the NHL with the Calgary Flames (66 goals). The power play is surely not the problem as the Avalanche, who are third in the Central Division, have the best conversion rate in the NHL (32.4 percent). Generating goals at 5-on-5 is the main concern. The Avalanche are doing great defensively with 52 goals against, third-best behind Boston (48) and New Jersey (51). Goalie Alexandar Georgiev's performance (10-3-1, 2.48 GAA, .926 save percentage, one shutout) ranks as a good surprise." -- Robert Laflamme, LNH.com senior writer

8. Dallas Stars (13-6-4)

Total points: 130
Last week: No. 6
"I have the Stars No. 9 this week and I expect them to be in the postseason hunt all season. One of the more pleasant surprises is how proficient Dallas has been on offense. Under coach Peter DeBoer, the Stars are second in the NHL with 3.83 goals-per game, an increase from 21st and 2.84 per game last season. Among the scoring leaders is 38-year-old forward Joe Pavelski, who continues to thrive despite his age on one of the top lines in the League with center Roope Hintz and left wing Jason Robertson. Pavelski, who signed a one-year contract to remain with Dallas on March 11, is tied with Hintz for third on the Stars with 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 23 games." -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

9. Carolina Hurricanes (12-6-5)

Total points: 113
Last week: No. 5
"Martin Necas has been a pleasant and much-needed surprise for the Hurricanes, sharing the team lead with Sebastian Aho with 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 23 games. The Hurricanes needed the 23-year-old forward to take another step this season after he had 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) in 78 games last season, and he appears be reaching the offensive potential they saw when they selected him with the No. 12 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. That's been a welcome boost for Carolina, which has struggled to score at times while waiting for offseason addition Max Pacioretty to return from a torn Achilles tendon and Teuvo Teravainen out since Nov. 10 with an upper-body injury." -- Gulitti

10. New York Islanders (15-9-0)

Total points: 97
Last week: No. 9
"Every team goes through peaks and valleys, but it feels like the Islanders' current altitude is higher than any peak in the entire state of New York. After stumbling out of the gate, the Islanders have been on a consistent upswing for the past five weeks. Did you honestly expect them to be above the Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, or New York Rangers in the standings at the end of November? I sure didn't. Their 26 points since Oct. 26 are tied with the Bruins for second behind the Devils (30) in that span. They remain solid defensively, allowing 2.82 goals against per game that's tied with the Vancouver Canucks for seventh and rank fourth with an 84.2 percent penalty kill. But they are also surprisingly good offensively (in the upper half in both scoring and on the power play), mostly thanks to crushing it down the stretch. Their 35 third-period goals are first in the NHL." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

11. Tampa Bay Lightning (13-8-1)

Total points: 92
Last week: No. 10
"Steven Stamkos is six goals from 500 and needs one point to reach 1,000 in the NHL, a milestone the forward can reach against Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. What is pleasantly surprising for the Lightning is that he is producing career numbers even at age 32. Despite the wear and tear on his body from an injury plagued career, he is putting up the best single-season stats he's ever had. After Stamkos had an NHL career-best 106 points last season, he has 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists in 22 games) and is on a 101-point pace. Those would be the two highest totals of his career. The Tampa Bay captain is showing he has plenty left in the tank." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

12. Pittsburgh Penguins (11-8-4)

Total points: 62
Last week: No. 16
"The biggest surprise with the Penguins is how much of a struggle it has been for them defensively at times this season. They're allowing 3.17 goals per game, on track to be the most since 2005-06 (3.78). Part of that has to do with the fact that the NHL in general has become a more offensive league, but the Penguins are also allowing 33.9 shots on goal per game, which is more than they have ever allowed in the Sidney Crosby era that dates to 2005-06. The good news is they have been better of late, allowing 12 goals in their past six games, four in a 4-1 loss to the Maple Leafs on Nov. 26. The Penguins need to keep the trend going so they can give themselves the best chance to climb the Metropolitan Division standings." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

13. Detroit Red Wings (11-6-5)

Total points: 41
Last week: No. 15
"When the Red Wings signed forward Dominik Kubalik to a two-year contract July 13, it was far from a heralded move. It wasn't even the Red Wings' most notable forward signing that day, ranking behind the five-year contract signed by Andrew Copp and the two-year contract for David Perron. But it's been Kubalik that arguably has had the biggest impact of any of the new skaters. His nine goals and four power-play goals are tied with captain Dylan Larkin for the Red Wings lead, he's second to Larkin with 22 points, and his presence as another scoring option on the power play is a big reason Detroit is 20.5 percent on the man-advantage, up from 16.3 percent last season. Kubalik is averaging 16:36 of ice time in 22 games, far ahead of the 14:45 per game he averaged in his first three NHL seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. Kubalik wasn't expected to play like a first line forward, but he's certainly producing like one. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

14. Los Angeles Kings (12-9-4)

Total points: 32
Last week: No. 14
"The biggest surprise for the Kings is easily the fact that they're a more wide-open team, trading chances, and giving up goals in bunches. They are allowing 3.60 goals per game, bottom third in the NHL. It's mitigated slightly by the fact that they're scoring 3.36 goals per game and have three wins in games they allowed at least four goals. But they have given up at least four in 13 of their 25 games. If that trend continues, they won't make the playoffs. Jonathan Quick has a 3.30 GAA and .890 save percentage. Cal Peterson is worse at 3.75 and .868. The Kings scored eight goals on Tuesday and lost 9-8 in overtime against Seattle. Think about that for a second, they scored eight goals and got one point. Shocking." -- Rosen

15. Edmonton Oilers (13-10-0)

Total points: 31
Last week: Unranked
"The Oilers' biggest surprise has been their inconsistent, or rather, subpar starts. It's been going on too long and it requires so much effort for them to overcome. They have allowed the first goal in 14 of 23 games, going 5-9-0. They've had the lead after the first period three times and have a negative-nine goal differential in the first (23-14). Their third periods have been strong, arguably their best period. They have three wins when trailing after two periods, including coming back from 3-0 down after two against the New York Rangers on Saturday to win 4-3 in regulation. They are 4-0-0 when tied after two, but the slow starts are a big reason for the Oilers' surprising inconsistency." -- Rosen

16. St. Louis Blues (11-11-0)

Total points: 21
Last week: No. 12
"The Blues' inability to be consistent is their most surprising characteristic. This is a team that is generally consistent in its effort and the attending results. There have been wild swings in their play as evidenced by a run of eight games without a win, followed by a seven-game winning streak. They were outscored 38-12 in the eight-game losing streak and then outscored the opposition 30-16 during the winning streak. Defensively, they have been shockingly loose this season, allowing 3.55 goals per game. In each of the past four seasons, the Blues have allowed an average of less than three goals per game.-- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial
Others receiving points:New York Rangers 14, Calgary Flames 6, Florida Panthers 3, Minnesota Wild 2, Nashville Predators 1
Dropped out:Rangers (No. 13)

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New Jersey Devils; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Seattle Kraken; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Carolina Hurricanes; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. St. Louis Blues; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Detroit Red Wings; 16. Florida Panthers
BRIAN COMPTON
1. New Jersey Devils; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Seattle Kraken; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. New York Islanders; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Carolina Hurricanes; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Florida Panthers
NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New Jersey Devils; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Seattle Kraken; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Carolina Hurricanes; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Minnesota Wild
TOM GULITTI
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New Jersey Devils; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Seattle Kraken; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Dallas Stars; 9. Carolina Hurricanes; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. New York Rangers
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Seattle Kraken; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Carolina Hurricanes; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. New York Islanders; 12. New York Rangers; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Pittsburgh Penguins; 15. Detroit Red Wings; 16. Minnesota Wild
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New Jersey Devils; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. New York Islanders; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Seattle Kraken; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Carolina Hurricanes; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Pittsburgh Penguins; 16. New York Rangers
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. St. Louis Blues; 13. New York Rangers; 14. Seattle Kraken; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Calgary Flames
TRACEY MYERS
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New Jersey Devils; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Seattle Kraken; 6. New York Islanders; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Carolina Hurricanes; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. Detroit Red Wings; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. New York Rangers
SHAWN P. ROARKE
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Winnipeg Jets; 11. Seattle Kraken; 12. St. Louis Blues; 13. New York Islanders; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Nashville Predators
DAN ROSEN
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New Jersey Devils; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Seattle Kraken; 9. Carolina Hurricanes; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Edmonton Oilers; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. St. Louis Blues; 15. Detroit Red Wings; 16. Calgary Flames
DAVID SATRIANO
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New Jersey Devils; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. New York Islanders; 7. Seattle Kraken; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Carolina Hurricanes; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. St. Louis Blues; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Detroit Red Wings; 16. Edmonton Oilers
PAUL STRIZHEVSKY
1. New Jersey Devils; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Seattle Kraken; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Carolina Hurricanes; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Calgary Flames
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New Jersey Devils; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Seattle Kraken; 8. Carolina Hurricanes; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. New York Rangers; 16. Florida Panthers
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