Super 16: Rangers remain No. 1; Coyotes enter power rankings

The New York Rangers are still No. 1 in the Super 16 power rankings, but barely.

New York pulled in this week with 195 voting points, one more than the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins were ranked No. 1 by five of the 13 voters who contribute to the weekly rankings, while the Rangers and Los Angeles Kings each were ranked No. 1 by four voters. But New York edged Boston by getting seven No. 2 votes. The Bruins had three and four No. 3 votes.

This week, the 13 contributors to the Super 16 analyzed a pro and a con for each of the ranked teams.

Read on for more, but as a reminder, to come up with the Super 16 each week, the voters put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like and a point total is assigned to each, with the team selected first given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on.

Here is the Super 16.

1. New York Rangers (18-5-1)

Total points: 195

Last week: No. 1

"The pro has to be the chemistry developed between Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. The forwards have dominated shifts on a regular basis, first with Filip Chytil as the center on their line and now with Vincent Trocheck. Panarin has a team-high 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) in 24 games, and Lafreniere has 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 24 games. Lafreniere has played confidently and wants the puck; Panarin is a shooting threat as much as he is a passing threat. The con is the Rangers still are searching for a right wing to play with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Kaapo Kakko had the spot but was demoted to the third line before sustaining a lower-body injury that landed him on long-term injured reserve. Blake Wheeler has played there and currently it’s Jonny Brodzinski, who was recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

2. Boston Bruins (17-5-3)

Total points: 194

Last week: No. 3

"The pro? The penalty kill. Despite being short-handed 94 times this season, tied for third-most in the NHL, the Bruins lead the League on the penalty kill at 89.4 percent. They have allowed 10 power-play goals against. Coach Jim Montgomery consistently gives credit for the penalty kill to assistant Joe Sacco, who has long led the unit. The con? Hampus Lindholm's production. The defenseman has taken a step back from last season, when he was in the conversation for the Norris Trophy. He has seven points (one goal, six assists) in 25 games after a career-high 53 points (10 goals, 43 assists) in 80 games last season." -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

3. Los Angeles Kings (16-4-3)

Total points: 187

Last week: No. 2

"The Kings are an absolute wagon, especially on the road; they set an NHL record with their 11th straight win away from home to start the season with a 4-0 win at the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. That's the pro. And it's a big one because they've won five of their 12 home games (5-4-3), a trend that should at least somewhat balance itself out as the season progresses." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

4. Vegas Golden Knights (17-5-5)

Total points: 170

Last week: No. 5

"Pro: Jack Eichel has played well all season, but he's elevated his game even higher in the past couple of weeks. He has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his past five games and leads Vegas with 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 27 games. Con: The Golden Knights seem to have lost some of their focus and have been in a bit of a post-Cup lull during the past month. Even with a 6-3 win against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, they are 6-5-4 in 15 games following an 11-0-1 start." -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

5. Colorado Avalanche (16-8-2)

Total points: 160

Last week: No. 4

"Pro: The Avalanche have defenseman Cale Makar. He is the most unique and dangerous player in the League. Con: They rely too much on Alexandar Georgiev. Yes, he has a League-leading 14 wins, but he has played in 22 of 26 games. That's too much." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

6. Dallas Stars (15-7-3)

Total points: 141

Last week: No. 6

"Pro: The penalty kill has been outstanding, fourth in the NHL (86.9 percent) behind the Bruins, Kings and Golden Knights. And as good as the Stars have been in shutting down power plays, they've scored six short-handed goals, tied for second in the League. Con: Home has been so-so for the Stars; they're 6-4-1 at American Airlines Center. There aren't too many blemishes in their game, but the Stars would like to be taking advantage of home a bit more." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

7. Vancouver Canucks (17-9-1)

Total points: 119

Last week: No. 7

"Pro: The Canucks have four of the top 12 scorers in the League in defenseman Quinn Hughes and forwards J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. Con: Since a 12-3-1 start, they are 5-6-0, including alternating losses and wins in each of their past 10 games." -- David Satriano, assistant day editor

8. Detroit Red Wings (14-7-4)

Total points: 103

Last week: No. 12

"The Red Wings are 6-1-1 in their past eight games and tied for second in the Atlantic Division, and Patrick Kane played well in making his debut against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday after signing a one-year, $2.75 million contract Nov. 28. Those are the pros. The cons? Kane had hip resurfacing surgery June 1, and although everyone is optimistic, no one knows how he'll do. The Red Wings have one more point (32) than they did through 25 games last season (31), when they missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh straight season. There is a lot of hockey left." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

9. Florida Panthers (15-8-2)

Total points: 97

Last week: No. 8

"The play of Sam Reinhart easily has been the Panthers' biggest pro so far. He's on his way to having a career season with 32 points (17 goals, 15 assists) in 25 games, including a goal and two assists in a 5-4 win against the Stars on Wednesday. The con, however, is that the rest of the roster isn’t nearly as hot offensively as we have grown accustomed to seeing. Florida was in the top 10 in scoring in each of the previous five seasons and was the best overall in those seasons combined at 3.52 goals per game. This season, the Panthers are averaging 3.08 goals per game." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

10. Toronto Maple Leafs (13-6-4)

Total points: 93

Last week: No. 9

"Pro: Members of the Maple Leafs' so-called 'Core Four' have produced as advertised and are Toronto's top four scorers, topped by William Nylander (30 points), followed by Auston Matthews (25), Mitch Marner (25) and John Tavares (22). Con: Depth at defense remains a concern. John Klingberg (hip) is out for the season and there's no firm return dates for Mark Giordano (hand) and Timothy Liljegren (lower body), who has been out for more than a month and just started skating. That's three of Toronto's projected top-six defensemen from opening night." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

11. Winnipeg Jets (15-8-2)

Total points: 88

Last week: No. 11

"There have been more pros than cons for the Jets. Their balanced lineup has been an asset. Winnipeg has 10 players in double-digit points, which illustrates how they are getting contributions up and down their lineup. That's a pro. Kyle Connor (28 points) and  Mark Scheifele (27 points) are leading the Jets in scoring, and Josh Morrissey is providing offense from the blue line (22 points). The biggest con this season was the injury to forward Gabriel Vilardi, who missed 18 games with a knee injury. Vilardi is back, but it could take time for the forward to get up to game speed." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

12. Carolina Hurricanes (14-11-1)

Total points: 78

Last week: No. 10

"The loss of goalie Frederik Andersen hurt when it was announced Nov. 6 that he'd be out indefinitely because of a blood clotting issue. He was 4-1-0 with a 2.87 goals-against average and .894 save percentage in six starts. That's a con. Despite the loss, the Hurricanes have persevered. That's a pro. They have one of the top defense corps in the NHL with Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce and Dmitry Orlov in the mix. Carolina has the puck a lot, cutting down the amount of shots against, benefitting goalies Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov. Carolina is also scoring 3.23 goals per game." -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

13. Arizona Coyotes (13-10-2)

Total points: 43

Last week: Unranked

"Pro: The Coyotes' special teams are a big reason they won five straight games prior to their loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. The power play, which has been good all season, was 4-for-13 (30.8 percent) during the winning streak and they killed 15 of 17 short-handed situations (88.2 percent). Con: Arizona needs more time with the puck at 5-on-5; its 46.9 percent shot-attempts percentage for the season is tied for 25th in the NHL, one of the big reasons the Coyotes have allowed 31.8 shots on goal per game. More time with the puck will cut down the stress on goalies Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

14. New Jersey Devils (13-10-1)

Total points: 20

Last week: No. 15

"The power play has been lights-out, leading the NHL at 35.0 percent. The success with the man-advantage has been key, too, since the Devils have been average in their end of the ice. They've allowed 3.67 goals and 29.9 shots on goal per game, as compared to 2.71 goals and 28.2 shots on goal allowed in 2022-23. Additionally, the goaltending hasn't been consistent. Vitek Vanecek is 9-5-0 with a 3.60 GAA and .877 save percentage in 16 games, and Akira Schmid is 4-5-1 with a 3.03 GAA and .902 save percentage in 11 games." -- Morreale

15. Philadelphia Flyers (14-10-2)

Total points: 19

Last week: Unranked

"Look no further than special teams for the Flyers’ pro and con. The pro is their penalty kill; they are at 85.9 percent (73-for-85) on the PK and have scored an NHL-high seven short-handed goals. The con is their power play. They are clicking at 12.2 percent (10-for-82) and have allowed one short-handed goal." -- Rosen

16. Washington Capitals (12-8-3)

Total points: 18

Last week: No. 14

"Pro: Charlie Lindgren has pushed Darcy Kuemper for playing time, going 5-2-1 with a 2.61 GAA, .924 save percentage and one shutout in his nine games (eight starts). That includes 38 saves in a 2-1 win at the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 29. Con: Washington has struggled to score goals, scoring once or none eight times, including four shutouts, in its first 23 games. The Capitals are 31st in the NHL in averaging 2.35 goals per game and are last in the League on the power play at 9.0 percent." -- Gulitti

Others receiving points: Edmonton Oilers 14, St. Louis Blues 14, Nashville Predators 6, Tampa Bay Lightning 6, New York Islanders 3

Dropped out from last week: Lightning (No. 13), Predators (No. 16)

New Amsterdam Game of the Week

Each week, NHL.com will highlight one game that features two teams in the Super 16. This week, it's the Los Angeles Kings against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; BSW, MSG).

The No. 3 Kings and No. 1 Rangers at the Garden on Sunday will be a matchup of titans in the NHL this season. The Rangers lead the NHL with 18 wins and points percentge (.771), just ahead of the second-place Kings (.761). The Rangers are scoring 3.38 goals per game and allowing 2.71; the Kings are scoring 3.87 and allowing 2.22. It'll be the first of two games this season between the Rangers and Kings, who will play again at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Jan. 20. -- Rosen

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED ’EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Boston Bruins; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Los Angeles Kings; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Vancouver Canucks; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Florida Panthers; 10. Detroit Red Wings; 11. Carolina Hurricanes; 12. Winnipeg Jets; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. Arizona Coyotes

BRIAN COMPTON

1. New York Rangers; 2. Los Angeles Kings; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Detroit Red Wings; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Vancouver Canucks; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Arizona Coyotes; 13. Carolina Hurricanes; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. Philadelphia Flyers

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. New York Rangers; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. Los Angeles Kings; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Detroit Red Wings; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Vancouver Canucks; 10. Florida Panthers; 11. Winnipeg Jets; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Arizona Coyotes; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. New York Islanders

TOM GULITTI

1. Los Angeles Kings; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Vancouver Canucks; 10. Carolina Hurricanes; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Arizona Coyotes; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Philadelphia Flyers

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Los Angeles Kings; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Vancouver Canucks; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Arizona Coyotes; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. New Jersey Devils

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Boston Bruins; 2. Los Angeles Kings; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Vancouver Canucks; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Florida Panthers; 11. Carolina Hurricanes; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Arizona Coyotes; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. St. Louis Blues

TRACEY MYERS

1. Boston Bruins; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Los Angeles Kings; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Vancouver Canucks; 8. Detroit Red Wings; 9. Florida Panthers; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Winnipeg Jets; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. St. Louis Blues; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Tampa Bay Lightning

SHAWN P. ROARKE

1. Los Angeles Kings; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Vancouver Canucks; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Carolina Hurricanes; 10. New Jersey Devils; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Nashville Predators; 15. Winnipeg Jets; 16. Arizona Coyotes

DAN ROSEN

1. Los Angeles Kings; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Detroit Red Wings; 8. Vancouver Canucks; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Florida Panthers; 11. Winnipeg Jets; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Arizona Coyotes; 14. Toronto Maple Leafs; 15. Nashville Predators; 16. New Jersey Devils

DAVID SATRIANO

1. New York Rangers; 2. Los Angeles Kings; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Detroit Red Wings; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Vancouver Canucks; 9. Florida Panthers; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Arizona Coyotes; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Winnipeg Jets; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Nashville Predators

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

1. Boston Bruins; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Los Angeles Kings; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Vancouver Canucks; 8. Detroit Red Wings; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Florida Panthers; 11. Winnipeg Jets; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Arizona Coyotes; 14. St. Louis Blues; 15. New York Islanders; 16. Washington Capitals

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. New York Rangers; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Vancouver Canucks; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Los Angeles Kings; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Florida Panthers; 10. Carolina Hurricanes; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. Detroit Red Wings; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. Arizona Coyotes; 15. Tampa Bay Lightning; 16. St. Louis Blues

MIKE ZEISBERGER

1. Boston Bruins; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Los Angeles Kings; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Detroit Red Wings; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Vancouver Canucks; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Arizona Coyotes; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Washington Capitals