Super 16: Lightning barely hang on to No. 1

The Tampa Bay Lightning are No. 1 in NHL.com's weekly Super 16 rankings for the 16th straight week, but the Vegas Golden Knights continue to get closer.
Vegas, which hasn't lost consecutive games in regulation in two months (Nov. 30-Dec. 1), is No. 2 for the fifth straight week, four points behind Tampa Bay and 11 ahead of the Boston Bruins, who remained No. 3 after their 18-game point streak (14-0-4) ended with a 3-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.

The Golden Knights, who trailed the Lightning by eight points in the Jan. 25 rankings and by 32 on Jan. 18, received eight first-place votes, compared to four for Tampa Bay and two for Boston.
The Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators round out the top five, flipping spots from last week. The Ducks (No. 12) and Los Angeles Kings (No. 15) are new to the Super 16, replacing the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils.

The Penguins made the biggest jump of the week, going from No. 15 to No. 8.
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.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (34-13-3)

Total points: 208Last week: No. 1
Hit: Defenseman Victor Hedman returned Tuesday after missing five games with a lower-body injury. He had three hits and two blocked shots in 25:00 in a 3-1 loss to the Jets. Hedman is plus-24, tied for second in the League behind Vegas forward William Karlsson (plus-26).
Miss: The Lightning have not scored a power-play goal in four games (0-for-9) and have three in their past 12 (3-for-29).

2. Vegas Golden Knights (33-12-4)

Total points: 204Last week: No. 2
Hit:David Perron has three goals and five assists during a six-game point streak. Before being kept off the score sheet the two previous games, he had two goals and five assists during a seven-game point streak Dec. 27-Jan. 7.
Miss: Vegas plays its next five games on the road, where it is 14-9-2. The Golden Knights have the best home record in the League (19-3-2).

3. Boston Bruins (29-11-8)

Total points: 193Last week: No. 3
Hit: Before the loss to the Ducks, the Bruins allowed two goals or fewer in regulation in 18 of their previous 22 games.
Miss: Boston already is without forward Brad Marchand (suspended) and defenseman Charlie McAvoy (heart), and forward David Backes could miss some time after he sustained an undisclosed injury against Anaheim.

4. Winnipeg Jets (30-13-8)

Total points: 190Last week: No. 5
Hit: The Jets, who have three regulation losses in 24 home games (18-3-1), play their next nine at Bell MTS Place. They lead the Predators and St. Louis Blues by three points for first place in the Central Division.
Miss: Defenseman Jacob Trouba, who is second on the Jets in average ice time (22:09) behind Dustin Byfuglien (23:26), will be out 6-8 weeks because of an ankle injury.

5. Nashville Predators (29-12-7)

Total points: 173Last week: No. 4
Hit: Mike Fisher said Wednesday he plans to sign a contract with the Predators prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 26. The 37-year-old, who retired after last season, would add depth at center, joining Ryan Johansen, Kyle Turris, Nick Bonino and Colton Sissons.
Miss: Turris has four points (two goals, two assists) in his past 16 games after he had 17 (four goals, 13 assists) in his first 17 games with the Predators after being traded from the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 5.

6. Washington Capitals (30-15-5)

Total points: 157Last week: No. 6
Hit: Alex Ovechkin became the third player in NHL history to begin his career with 13 straight 30-goal seasons (Wayne Gretzky, Mike Gartner) when he scored against the Florida Panthers on Jan. 25.
Miss: T.J. Oshie, who had an NHL career-high 33 goals last season, ended a 13-game goal drought when he scored in a 5-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday. He has been held without a goal in 21 of his past 23 games.

7. St. Louis Blues (31-18-3)

Total points: 140Last week: No. 7
Hit:Carter Hutton has started the past six games and is 5-1-0 with a 1.36 goals-against average and .956 save percentage.
Miss: The Blues have allowed at least 30 shots on goal in eight of their past 10 games.

8. Pittsburgh Penguins (28-21-3)

Total points: 109Last week: No. 15
Hit: Matt Murray made 40 saves in a 5-2 win against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, his first game after missing seven because of his father's death. Evgeni Malkin, who scored a hat trick against San Jose, had 19 points (12 goals, seven assists) in 12 games in January.
Miss: Sidney Crosby, who has 399 NHL goals, hasn't scored in his past six games. Defenseman Justin Schultz, who had NHL career highs in goals (12) and points (51) last season, has two goals and 14 points in 35 games.

9. Dallas Stars (28-19-4)

Total points: 98Last week: No. 8
Hit: John Klingberg's 48 points (six goals, 42 assists) lead NHL defensemen. Alexander Radulov has 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in the past 17 games.
Miss:The Stars have scored one goal in their past two games after scoring 13 in wins against the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 20 (7-1) and Panthers on Jan. 23 (6-1).

10. San Jose Sharks (26-16-8)

Total points: 84Last week: No. 9
Hit:Defenseman Brent Burns had 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) in 14 games in January.
Miss: The Sharks have lost four straight games (0-2-2), allowing at least five goals in the first three before a 2-1 shootout loss at the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday. Joe Pavelski (35 points in 50 games) is on pace for his fewest points in a full NHL season since he had 40 in 2007-08.

11. Toronto Maple Leafs (29-18-5)

Total points: 75Last week: No. 13
Hit: Defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, who missed 17 games with a foot injury, had three blocked shots, two hits, one shot on goal and a plus-1 rating in 21:56 in his return to the lineup in a 5-0 win against the New York Islanders on Wednesday. Auston Matthews has four goals in his past five games.
Miss: Morgan Rielly, whose 31 points (five goals, 26 assists) lead Maple Leafs defensemen, has missed the past five games with an arm injury.

12. Anaheim Ducks (25-17-9)

Total points: 48Last week: NR
Hit:Forward Adam Henrique has 17 points (11 goals, six assists) in 26 games since he was acquired in a trade from the Devils on Nov. 30. The Ducks have won three games in a row and five of six.
Miss: Goalie John Gibson sustained a lower-body injury against Boston and is day to day. Anaheim is 4-9 in games decided after regulation (1-4 in overtime, 3-5 in the shootout).

13. Colorado Avalanche (27-18-4)

Total points: 47Last week: No. 10
Hit: Defenseman Tyson Barrie had an assist in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday after missing 13 games with a broken hand. In 49 games, Mikko Rantanen (17 goals, 49 points) has 11 more points than he did in 75 games in 2016-17, his first full season in the League, and is three goals shy of matching last season's total.
Miss: Nathan MacKinnon, whose 61 points (24 goals, 37 assists) are second in the NHL behind Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov (64), is day to day with an upper-body injury and won't play Thursday at the Edmonton Oilers. The Avalanche have nine wins in 23 road games and play nine of their next 12 away from home.

14. Minnesota Wild (27-18-5)

Total points: 34Last week: No. 16
Hit: The Wild have scored a power-play goal in six straight games and are 7-0-2 in their past nine at home. Eric Staal has six points (one goal, five assists) in his past five games. He leads Minnesota in points (43) and is tied with Jason Zucker for first in goals (20).
Miss:Forward Nino Niederreiter has 13 goals but has missed 19 games because of various injuries. He missed a total of three games in the previous four seasons.

15. Los Angeles Kings (27-18-5)

Total points: 31Last week: NR
Hit: Anze Kopitar has 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in his past 11 games. His 53 points in 50 games are one more than he had in 76 games last season.
Miss: The Kings have six wins in 18 games (6-9-3) against Pacific Division opponents and have scored more than three goals once in their past 10 games (3-7-0).

16. Philadelphia Flyers (24-18-8)

Total points: 30Last week: No. 12
Hit:Travis Konecny has a goal in five straight games after scoring six in his first 45. The Flyers have won eight of 11.
Miss:Goalie Brian Elliott, who allowed three goals in his past two games, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday (lower body).
Dropped out: Calgary Flames (No. 11), New Jersey Devils (No. 14)
Others receiving points: New Jersey Devils, 29; Columbus Blue Jackets, 27; Calgary Flames, 26; Chicago Blackhawks, 1

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

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