Super 16: Golden Knights unanimous No. 1 for 3rd straight week

The Vegas Golden Knights are No. 1 in the NHL.com weekly Super 16 power rankings for the third straight week to start the season.

Vegas is the unanimous No. 1, ranked first by all 13 voters, for the second time in the three weeks the Super 16 has run since the season began.

The Golden Knights have been in the top spot since the end of last season. They won the Stanley Cup last season and were, of course, the No. 1 team in the end of the season rankings. They were also No. 1 in the pre-training camp rankings that came out Aug. 31 and the preseason rankings that ran Oct. 5.

Not surprisingly, with the way the Golden Knights have looked this season, there is a lot to like and nothing that jumps out that needs to be fixed. But that is not true with all the teams. In fact, some who made it into the Super 16 this week have more to fix than they'd like.

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. Vegas Golden Knights (9-0-1)

Total points: 208
Last week: No. 1

"The defending Stanley Cup champions look like they're still in Stanley Cup Playoff mode the way they've started the season. Best record in the NHL, undefeated in regulation, and they rank in the top 10 in goals for and goals against. They've even shown more depth this season, surviving the absences of top-four defensemen Alex Pietrangelo, Alec Martinez and Zach Whitecloud without missing a beat. Brayden Pachal and Ben Hutton have stepped in, are averaging more than 15 minutes of ice time per game and there's been no drop-off. The schedule gets harder as November moves on, including a five-game road trip with four games in the Eastern time zone, but the Golden Knights look like they're as hungry for a second NHL championship as they were for the first one. I wouldn't look to fix anything with them right now." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

2. Boston Bruins (8-0-1)

Total points: 192
Last week: No. 3

"There's not a whole lot that needs fixing for the Bruins right now. Well, at least, there wasn't until their 3-2 overtime win against the Florida Panthers on Monday. That game cost the Bruins two of their top defensemen in Charlie McAvoy, whose hit on Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson cost him a four-game suspension, and Matt Grzelcyk, who was placed on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. That's going to be tough for the Bruins, especially with their next four against heavy hitters, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars and New York Islanders. So if I could fix anything, I'd fix Grzelcyk and get him out on the ice. Other than that, the Bruins are just rolling." -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

3. Colorado Avalanche (7-2-0)

Total points: 173
Last week: No. 2

"The Avalanche hit a bump in the road this week, losing back-to-back games by identical 4-0 scores to the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins, but there is little reason to be worried about this squad. The Avalanche have the ingredients to make a long playoff run. Alexandar Georgiev should be in the running for the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL. Cale Makar has won the Norris Trophy voted as best defenseman and will be in the running again this year. Nathan MacKinnon is a dynamic, MVP-type player. All that talent needs to come together on the power play, where the Avalanche are, at best, a middling team so far. They will get better. Just give it time." -- Shawn P. Roarke, director of editorial

4. New York Rangers (7-2-0)

Total points: 164
Last week: No. 8

"A 5-0-0 road trip, the first time in team history the Rangers have swept a road trip of at least five games, doesn't exactly lend itself to looking for things to fix. They outscored the Seattle Kraken, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets 17-7 on the trip that concluded with a 3-2 overtime win in Winnipeg on Monday, but only seven of the Rangers' 17 goals came at 5-on-5. They scored one at 4-on-4 and two in overtime (3-on-3). Seven came on the power play, which is red-hot to start the season (34.4 percent). The Rangers, though, need to improve their 5-on-5 offense. They have scored 12 goals at 5-on-5 in nine games. They are shooting 6.4 percent at 5-on-5. The defense and goaltending have been strong, but the power play has carried the offense. Power-play goals count, of course, so there's nothing wrong with that in a small sample size, but New York's 5-on-5 production has to go up because the man-advantage will inevitably slump." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

5. Dallas Stars (6-1-1)

Total points: 163
Last week: No. 4

"OK, this may be being ticky-tack for a team that has started as well as Dallas, but its power play has not been good, so that would be what I would fix. It is 2-for-23 through eight games (8.7 percent), which is surprising. You look at some of the players the Stars have at their disposal, Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski, Miro Heiskanen, and that's all they've done thus far? Now that said, I know firsthand from watching the Chicago Blackhawks in their glory days that you can be very successful despite a struggling power play. In 2012-13, the Blackhawks' power play was 16.7 percent in the regular season (19th), worse in the playoffs (11.4 percent), and they won the Stanley Cup. If the other parts of your game are clicking, you can withstand it. That said, I'm sure the Stars would like to capitalize more on their chances." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

6. New Jersey Devils (5-2-1)

Total points: 137
Last week: No. 5

"The Devils needed to make a statement on the power play and, boy, have they ever. They're first on the man-advantage (42.4 percent, 14-for-33) and power-play goals (14), and they were also the first team since the Buffalo Sabres in 2019 to score as many in the month of October. Though the success has enabled coach Lindy Ruff to sleep easy, he's got to be a little restless with the 5-on-5 execution when defending. Sure, losing Damon Severson and Ryan Graves hurt, but the Devils are eight games in and it's about time they exhibit more cohesiveness, consistency and toughness in support of goalies Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid." -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

7. Los Angeles Kings (5-2-2)

Total points: 111
Last week: No. 10

"The Kings entered this week in need of cutting down their goals against, and they took a huge step in the right direction with the way they handled the Maple Leafs at even strength in their 4-1 victory Tuesday. They had allowed at least three goals in each of their prior three games and four of their past five. That's a trend the Kings need to continue to correct in the coming weeks, but Tuesday must have had coach Todd McLellan smiling from ear to ear." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

8. Vancouver Canucks (6-2-1)

Total points: 110
Last week: No. 9

"The Canucks are off to an excellent start and are surprisingly on the tail of the Golden Knights. Elias Pettersson had a hat trick in a 5-2 win against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, giving the center 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in nine games, second in the NHL behind Devils forward Jack Hughes (18 points; five goals, 13 assists). There is a lot to like about the Canucks, who are playing a hard-nosed style of hockey under coach Rick Tocchet. Vancouver is getting balanced scoring, has an elite defenseman in captain Quinn Hughes and getting exceptional play from goalie Thatcher Demko. It's early, but the Canucks may be for real and could contend for a playoff spot, which was unexpected going into the season." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

9. Detroit Red Wings (6-3-1)

Total points: 99
Last week: No. 7

"The Red Wings are tied for third in goals per game (4.00) and rank fourth in power-play percentage (32.4). Top players Dylan Larkin (15 points; four goals, 11 assists), Alex DeBrincat (13 points; nine goals, four assists) and Moritz Seider (10 points; one goal, nine assists) are producing, and they have good scoring depth. Fourteen players have a goal. Nineteen have a point. James Reimer has been a pleasant surprise as the No. 2 goalie with a 1.68 goals-against average, .939 save percentage and one shutout in three starts. Problem is, the Red Wings are 19th in goals-against per game (3.10) and 28th in 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage (46.6). No. 1 goalie Ville Husso has a 3.28 goals-against average and .900 save percentage. What happens if the offense cools off?" -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

10. Toronto Maple Leafs (5-3-1)

Total points: 96
Last week: No. 6

"When it comes to fixing what may ail the Maple Leafs, the issue remains the same as it has the past few years, getting better on the blue line. Morgan Rielly showed in the playoffs that he can be a legitimate No. 1 defenseman when the situation calls for it, but who slots in as a No. 2 after that? TJ Brodie is a solid stay-at-home defenseman but seems more fitting for the second pair. John Klingberg is a good power-play quarterback, but his defensive hiccups are well-documented. Jake McCabe? Timothy Liljegren? Even 40-year-old Mark Giordano? None of them are the foundational pieces who can complement Rielly and absorb big minutes. Until the defense is addressed, making any kind of deep postseason run will always remain an issue." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

11. Carolina Hurricanes (6-4-0)

Total points: 82
Last week: No. 14

Although the Hurricanes cleaned up some areas to win their past three games following a three-game losing streak, they still have room to improve. They are surprisingly allowing 3.70 goals per game (29th) after being second in the League last season, when they gave up 2.56 goals per game. The good news is coach Rod Brind'Amour already has them headed back in the right direction. Despite losing defenseman Brett Pesce for 2-4 weeks after having surgery to correct a lower-body injury, Carolina allowed four goals in its three wins (1.33 per game) and its penalty kill, which was 66.6 percent in its first seven games, was 8-for-8. The Hurricanes were second on the PK last season (84.4 percent), so expect them to continue to improve in that area. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

12. Tampa Bay Lightning (4-2-3)

Total points: 63
Last week: No. 12

"The good: Despite the Lightning's recent success, they found a way to keep their elite scorers and they remain among the League's best offensive teams at even strength and on the power play. The bad: Departures of defensively responsible secondary players like Ondrej Palat, Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman, Alex Killorn, Barclay Goodrow, Tyler Johnson and Pat Maroon have cost them dearly. Despite Jonas Johansson filling in admirably for injured goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, the defense has been wobbly. The ugly: Tampa Bay is giving up the second-most shots in the NHL (35.7 per game), ahead of only the San Jose Sharks (38.3). It is nearly impossible to imagine one of their Stanley Cup-winning teams giving up 42 shots to Detroit, 38 to the Ottawa Senators, 52 to Toronto, and 43 to Seattle -- all in 16 days." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

13. Montreal Canadiens (5-2-2)

Total points: 58
Last week: Unranked

"The Canadiens have points in four of their past five games (3-1-1) and been aided by their power play, which at 20.0 percent (tied for 14th), is a big improvement from last season (29th, 16.1 percent). Cole Caufield has been more than a point-per game player (four goals, six assists in nine games) and Sean Monahan has five goals and eight points. They've shown their depth this season with 11 players scoring at least one goal, but the one thing that needs work is their first periods (five goals in nine games). If that improves, they could surprise this season." -- David Satriano, staff writer

14. New York Islanders (4-2-2)

Total points: 37
Last week: No. 16

"The Islanders are 2-0-1 in their past three games and have points in six of eight this season, but they're doing it by the skin of their teeth. It seems like the same old mantra, but they need more offense. They're 4-2-2 despite scoring 2.63 goals per game and being minus-2 in goal differential (21-23). They've given up some big shot totals, too. Detroit had 36 in New York's 4-3 overtime loss. Semyon Varlamov had to make 34 saves in a 2-0 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Ilya Sorokin faced 47 in a 3-2 victory against the Senators. In fact, the Islanders have scored more than three goals in two games this season and lost both (0-1-1). It's not always easy for the goalies, but the best way the Islanders can help them is to get puck in the net more than they have been. It's unlikely they'll be a playoff team scoring 2.63 goals per game." -- Rosen

15. Florida Panthers (4-3-1)

Total points: 27
Last week: No. 15

"The Panthers have been good defensively at 5-on-5 with 12 goals-against in eight games. They've been solid at home, going 3-1-0 with wins against Toronto, Seattle and San Jose. They're 4-1-1 in their past six games, so it might seem like nitpicking to get on their penalty kill, but it is fair to do so. The good news is they did not allow a power-play goal in their past two games and held the Kraken and Bruins to one chance apiece, but they gave up at least one power-play goal in their first six games and the PK is 67.9 percent. The Panthers are keeping the penalties down, averaging 5:20 of short-handed time against, but that only magnifies the PK struggles that need to be rectified." -- Rosen

16. Minnesota Wild (3-4-2)

Total points: 15
Last week: No. 11

"I didn't have the Wild in my Super 16 this week. Only four people did. That's what happens when you have a three-game road trip like they had last week. The Wild were 0-2-1 against the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Devils -- two of those three teams are not ranked here -- and were 1-for-13 on the power play and 4-for-9 on the penalty kill. Yikes. Special teams are a major issue. Minnesota is 1-for-23 (4.4 percent) with two short-handed goals against on the power play and 10-for-17 (58.8 percent) on the kill in six games since scoring five goals (three on the power play, two short-handed) in a 5-2 win in Montreal on Oct. 17. They won't be in Super 16 next week if they do not fix the special teams." -- Rosen

Others receiving points: Winnipeg Jets 11, Anaheim Ducks 9, Edmonton Oilers 9, Washington Capitals 2, Arizona Coyotes 1, Buffalo Sabres 1

Dropped out from last week: Philadelphia Flyers (No. 13)

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

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

BRIAN COMPTON

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

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

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

TOM GULITTI

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

ADAM KIMELMAN

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

MIKE G. MORREALE

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

TRACEY MYERS

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

SHAWN P. ROARKE

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. New Jersey Devils; 6. New York Rangers; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Los Angeles Kings; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Vancouver Canucks; 14. Florida Panthers; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Montreal Canadiens

DAN ROSEN

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Los Angeles Kings; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Vancouver Canucks; 9. Detroit Red Wings; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Montreal Canadiens; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. New York Islanders; 16. Buffalo Sabres

DAVID SATRIANO

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Detroit Red Wings; 8. Vancouver Canucks; 9. Los Angeles Kings; 10. Montreal Canadiens; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Carolina Hurricanes; 15. New York Islanders; 16. Washington Capitals

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

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

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Vancouver Canucks; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Detroit Red Wings; 7. Los Angeles Kings; 8. Carolina Hurricanes; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. Montreal Canadiens; 11. Dallas Stars; 12. Tampa Bay Lightning; 13. Toronto Maple Leafs; 14. Winnipeg Jets; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Minnesota Wild

MIKE ZEISBERGER

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