Super 16: Top 4 unchanged heading into 2023

The Boston Bruins will ring in 2023 as the unanimous No. 1 team in the NHL.com Super 16 power rankings.

It's Boston's seventh straight week as the No. 1 team and they get a chance to show why to a national television audience when they play the sixth-ranked Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston on Monday (2 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, TVAS).
The Carolina Hurricanes, winners of nine straight games with points in 15 in a row (13-0-2) are No. 2 again this week with the Toronto Maple Leafs coming in third, the Vegas Golden Knights fourth and the Dallas Stars fifth.
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 is assigned to each with the team selected first given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on down the line.
Since it's that time when people around the world and thinking about their New Year's resolutions, we here at NHL.com figure that should be the theme for this week's Super 16.
So before we get to 2023, here is your last Super 16 of 2022, with the participating staff writers providing a New Year's resolution for each team.

1. Boston Bruins (28-4-3)

Total points: 208
Last week: No. 1
"The resolution for the Bruins is not to let up. They have been -- by far -- the best team in the NHL through the first three months of the season. They're seven points ahead of their closest competition in the Atlantic Division, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and five points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes for the most points in the NHL entering Wednesday with a game in hand on each of those teams. They have four regulation losses, zero at home. But there are a lot of games to go and a lot of them might seem like traps. The Bruins can't fall into that, so their resolution should be to continue to find their motivation, to continue to improve, to continue to make the tweaks that will get them in position to win the Stanley Cup. Because at this point, anything short would be a disappointment, given the run this team has been on since the start of the season." -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

2. Carolina Hurricanes (23-6-6)

Total points: 195
Last week: No. 2
"When you win nine games in a row and 13 out of 14, you are by definition doing a lot of things well. With only a few days left in 2022, the Hurricanes are by far the hottest team in the NHL, so one might think they would want to keep things exactly as they are, right? Absolutely not. These Hurricanes are pretty darn good in many aspects, but not great in any. Not even close to how good they were last year. They were the No. 1 defensive team in the League at this time last season averaging 2.14 goals against; now they are fourth at 2.57. They were scoring 3.28 goals per game at this point last season, good for eighth; now they are 11th at 3.06. Their penalty kill is down from 88.7 percent (second) to 80.7 percent (10th), and their power play went from 22.5 percent (10th) to 17.5 percent (27th). Even discounting forwards Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and goalie Frederik Andersen missing substantial chunks of time, these are not exactly championship-caliber numbers. So here is my 2023 resolution for the Hurricanes: Get back to your 2021-22 form and find a way to sustain it in the playoffs." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

3. Toronto Maple Leafs (22-7-6)

Total points: 175
Last week: No. 3
"The Maple Leafs started the season 4-4-1, causing widespread panic in Toronto and sparking calls for changes behind the bench and in the front office. Premature reaction? And how. Since then, they're 18-3-5 and have rocketed into the NHL's top 5 despite playing significant chunks of time without Morgan Rielly, TJ Brodie and Jake Muzzin, their top three defensemen. Therefore, their New Year's resolution is keep doing what they're doing! Their newfound dedication to this suffocating defensive gameplan should translate well in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a key for a team that hasn't won a series since 2004. Maybe they're finally getting it. Or not. We'll see come April."-- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

4. Vegas Golden Knights (24-12-2)

Total points: 158
Last week: No. 4
"The Golden Knights have fallen back to earth after a hot start but are still one of the top teams in the Western Conference. They've got good goaltending, offensive depth, solid defense and a good coach. But for some reason, they've been unable to be dominant at home like in years past. Vegas is just 10-9-0 at home, but 14-3-2 on the road. Maybe the New Year's resolution should be that the Golden Knights should stay in one of those fancy hotels on the Las Vegas Strip prior to each home game so it'll feel like a road game, where they've been far more comfortable this season."-- David Satriano, staff writer

5. Dallas Stars (21-9-6)

Total points: 149
Last week: No. 8
"Sometimes we get lucky that things are going so well that our New Year's resolution is to stay the course, don't change, just keep doing what we're doing because it's working and we're happy. That's the Stars. They're fine. They're happy. They don't need to make any major or even minor changes right now. They're in good shape with money in the bank. They're first in the Central Division, winners of seven of their past 10 games (7-2-1). They haven't lost more than two games in a row in any fashion this season. They haven't lost two in a row in regulation since Nov. 8-11. They entered Wednesday in the top five in points percentage (.667), goals per game (3.56) and penalty kill (82.9 percent); top 10 in goals against per game (2.75) and power play (26.8 percent). The Stars need to be reasonable in understanding that something unforeseen could be lurking around the corner, but for now the resolution is to leave well enough alone." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

6. Pittsburgh Penguins (19-10-6)

Total points: 128
Last week: No. 6
"There's a lot to like about how the Penguins have been playing the past six weeks, but if there's anything they'd like to see in the new year, it would be more production from three key forwards -- Jason Zucker, Jeff Carter and Kasperi Kapanen. Zucker has been mostly healthy this season but has scored three goals in his past 15 games, two of which were scored Wednesday. Carter has two goals in his past 16, and Kapanen, who has been an occasional healthy scratch, has gone 10 games without a goal since his hat trick against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 3. The Penguins don't need Zucker, Carter and Kapanen to be elite, just to produce enough to give teams something else to worry about when trying to slow the Pittsburgh attack. That's their New Year's resolution."-- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

7. Tampa Bay Lightning (21-11-1)

Total points: 122
Last week: No. 9
"Stay in shape. Yeah, lots of us say that this time of year, if we're in shape in the first place. But it's easier said than done, even for elite athletes. The Lightning have gone to the Stanley Cup Final three seasons in a row, and they won the Cup in 2020 and 2021. Right now, they're stuck in third place in the Atlantic Division, well behind the Bruins and the Maple Leafs, comfortably ahead of the rest of the pack. That's a recipe for midseason malaise. They can't fall into bad habits and get bored and fat. They have to stay in shape mentally and physically, so they're ready come playoff time." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

8. New Jersey Devils (22-11-2)

Total points: 119
Last week: No. 5
"If the Devils hope to punch their ticket into the Stanley Cup Playoffs this spring, they'll need to improve their play within their division (Metropolitan). New Jersey, in fact, has a winning record against every other division in the League except the Metropolitan (5-5-1). The Devils are 0-3-1 in their past four games in the division. They have 18 regular-season games left against Metropolitan Division opponents, starting at the Penguins on Friday, so winning against the teams they'll be battling against for playoff position should be at the top of their New Year's wish list. I ranked the Devils No. 13 this week as they look to find a more consistent game while minimizing some ill-advised defensive breakdowns." -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

9. Colorado Avalanche (19-12-2)

Total points: 91
Last week: No. 11
"The Avalanche are just like you and me with a New Year's resolution of taking better care of themselves. But for Colorado, it's not about eating more salad and getting in more steps, it is about avoiding major injuries. Six skaters on the Avalanche's roster have appeared in each of the 32 games they have played and they have dressed a League-high 34 skaters. Star forward Nathan MacKinnon might return this week after missing the past three weeks. But captain Gabriel Landeskog has yet to play this season after undergoing offseason knee surgery. Now forward Valeri Nichushkin has been added to the injured list, as well as backup goalie Pavel Francouz. Yet, the Avalanche remain a threat to repeat as Stanley Cup champion if they can get healthy. Come to think of it, maybe an extra apple or too on the training table couldn't hurt." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

10. Washington Capitals (20-13-4)

Total points: 77
Last week: No. 16
"Can you make a New Year's resolution to stay healthy? Other teams are doing it, so why not Washington too? That's the area where the Capitals need to improve most. Some of their injury issues this season are age related because they have one of the NHL's oldest teams, but there's also been bad luck involved. For example, defenseman John Carlson is out indefinitely after being hit in the face with a shot against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday. The good news is defenseman Martin Fehervary (upper body) and forward Beck Malenstyn (finger surgery) are nearing their returns and forwards Tom Wilson (ACL surgery) and Nicklas Backstrom (hip surgery) are closing in on making their season debuts. Despite also missing forwards T.J. Oshie (upper body), Connor Brown (ACL surgery) and Carl Hagelin (hip surgery), Washington has won five in a row and 10 of 11 to climb into third in the Metropolitan Division. Getting and staying healthy would boost the Capitals' chances of qualifying for the playoffs for the ninth straight season." -- Tom Gulitti, Staff Writer

11. Winnipeg Jets (21-13-1)

Total points: 75
Last week: No. 7
"The Jets continue to perform in front of their home crowd at Canada Life Centre (12-6-0), but they have lost three straight on the road and are just 9-7-1 this season. It's respectable, but they'll need to be better away from home in 2023 if they plan on having home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs."-- Brian Compton, managing editor

12. Minnesota Wild (20-12-2)

Total points: 74
Last week: No. 12
"The Wild have gotten things together lately, going 6-3-1 in their past 10 games, moving into the top three of the Central Division and coming out of the holiday break with a strong 4-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets. What should their New Year's resolution be? In my opinion, it's winning more on the road. They're 9-6-1 away from Xcel Energy Arena this season, and eight of their next 12 games are on the road. The Wild are great defensively, allowing 2.47 goals per game (third in the NHL) on the road but they could benefit from a better road power play. It's 14.6 percent, 31st in the League."-- Tracey Myers, staff writer

13. New York Rangers (19-12-5)

Total points: 62
Last week: No. 10
"The Rangers are 17th in the NHL on the power play (21.9 percent). Of their 25 power play goals, 24 have been scored by players on their first unit. Their New Year's resolution is to get more out of their second power-play unit to create more balance and less predictability. Filip Chytil's power-play goal in a 3-1 win against the Maple Leafs on Dec. 15 remains the only time the second unit has connected on the man advantage. Mika Zibanejad (10), Vincent Trocheck (seven), Chris Kreider (four), Artemi Panarin (two) and Adam Fox (one) have provided the rest of the power-play production. The Rangers have enough talent with Chytil, Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov and Jacob Trouba to have a dangerous second power-play unit. It needs more time on ice and it needs to deliver because right now the Rangers are too reliant on a unit that isn't always dangerous enough." -- Rosen

14. Los Angeles Kings (20-12-6)

Total points: 56
Last week: No. 14
"Pheonix Copley has been a terrific story, a goalie who has helped settle things down at a position that was a big problem for too long. Copley is 7-1-0 with a 2.43 GAA and .912 save percentage in eight starts since he was recalled from Ontario of the American Hockey League and Cal Petersen demoted on Dec. 1. But the Kings have a lot invested in Petersen. He's in the first year of a three-year, $15 million contract. They can't have a $5 million goalie toiling in the AHL for too long. It's bad cap management. So, while Copley has been a revelation, the Kings' New Year's resolution has to be to get Petersen back in the NHL and playing well. The Kings don't want to mess with the good thing they have going with Copley right now, but getting Petersen back and confident before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline on March 3 is key. It would give them depth at the most important position, including Jonathan Quick, and the potential to trade from a position of strength to upgrade another area." -- Rosen

15. Seattle Kraken (18-11-4)

Total points: 48
Last week: No. 13
"Consistency is the hardest thing to achieve for a young team. So, the Kraken should make more consistency in 2023 after a surprising first three months of their second season their resolution for the new year. After a 2-3-2 start, they went on a roll with a 13-2-1 record. December has been rough, though (4-6-1 after a 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday). They'll need more consistency to stay in the playoff picture in the Western Conference. For that to happen, they'll need a higher contribution from veteran players such forwards Jaden Schwartz and Oliver Bjorkstrand, and both of their goalies, Martin Jones and Philipp Grubauer." -- Robert Laflamme, LNH.com senior writer

16. New York Islanders (20-14-2)

Total points: 27
Last week: No. 15
"The Islanders' New Year's resolution has to be to keep scoring three or more goals per game. I said at the start of the season that to even be a bubble playoff team they have to score at least three per game. They're doing that, 3.25 per game, and they're right on the bubble in the Eastern Conference, in the super tight Metropolitan Division. The numbers do not lie. The Islanders are 20-4-1 in games when they score at least three goals; they're 0-10-1 when they don't. As good as they are in net and defensively, scoring is up in the NHL and the Islanders can't relent. So, score, score, score and they will give themselves a chance to say yes, yes, yes to the playoffs." -- Rosen
Others receiving points:Buffalo Sabres 3, Edmonton Oilers 1
Dropped out:None

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

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