Super 16: Sabres debut in power rankings

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres made the biggest jumps in the Super 16 power rankings this week. The Blue Jackets are up seven spots to No. 8, and the Sabres are making their power rankings debut this season at No. 12.

Columbus is 3-0-2 in its past five games and 6-2-2 in its past 10. Buffalo has won three in a row and four of its past five games. The Sabres are 7-2-2 since Oct. 20.
The top five teams are the same for the third straight week. The Minnesota Wild and New York Islanders each are up three spots from last week. The Colorado Avalanche are down six spots, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who were No. 10 last week, dropped out of the rankings.
To create the power rankings, each of the 13 participating staff members put together his or her version of what 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.
Here is latest Super 16, with some news and notes to follow for each team:

1. Nashville Predators (13-4-1)

Total points: 207
Last week: No. 1
Hit: Filip Forsberg ended a six-game goal drought by scoring twice in a 5-4 loss at the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. Forsberg also had an assist for his second three-point game of the season. He had one point, an assist, in the previous six games.
Miss: Defenseman P.K. Subban left the game against the Sharks in the second period with an undisclosed injury. The Predators, who didn't practice Wednesday, play at the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning (12-5-1)

Total points: 195
Last week: No. 2
Hit: Yanni Gourde has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in the past nine games. He has 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) this season, tied for second on the Lightning with forward Nikita Kucherov, who also has seven goals and 11 assists. Brayden Point leads them with 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists).
Miss: Defenseman Anton Stralman has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury and is day to day.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs (12-6-0)

Total points: 166
Last week: No. 3
Hit: Center Nazem Kadri has seven goals in the past nine games, including five in the seven games center Auston Matthews has missed because of a shoulder injury.
Miss: Forward Kasperi Kapanen has no goals and two assists in the past seven games.

4. Boston Bruins (10-6-2)

Total points: 161
Last week: No. 4
Hit: The Bruins are 7-2-0 and have outscored the opposition 37-20 at home.
Miss: Zdeno Chara could become the latest Bruins defenseman to miss time because of an injury. He did not return for the second period of a 6-3 loss at the Avalanche on Wednesday after sustaining a lower-body injury in the first. Brandon Carlo has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury, Urho Vaakanainen has missed the past nine with a concussion, and Charlie McAvoy (concussion symptoms) and Kevan Miller (hand) each has missed the past 11.

5. Winnipeg Jets (11-5-1)

Total points: 151
Last week: No. 5
Hit: Blake Wheeler had 20 points (two goals, 18 assists) in an 11-game point streak after he had an assist in a 3-1 win against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
Miss: Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury. He is on injured reserve.

6. Minnesota Wild (11-5-2)

Total points: 147
Last week: No. 9
Hit:The Wild have outscored the opposition 43-30 after the first period this season, including 25-17 after the second.
Miss: They have been slow starters, getting outscored 18-13 and outshot 197-162 in the first period. They've given up the first goal in 13 of their 18 games, although they're 8-4-1 in those games.

7. San Jose Sharks (10-6-3)

Total points: 145
Last week: No. 6
Hit: The Sharks have scored the first goal in 14 of their 19 games, going 9-2-3 in those games. They've outscored the opposition 24-12 in the first period.
Miss: They're 2-for-25 on the power play in the past nine games (8.0 percent).

8. Columbus Blue Jackets (10-6-2)

Total points: 91
Last week: No. 15
Hit: The Blue Jackets have scored at least one power-play goal in four straight games (5-for-11) after scoring a power-play goal in one of 10 games (2-for-38 overall) from Oct. 13-Nov. 4.
Miss: Forward Josh Anderson has no points in the past five games after he had nine, including seven goals, in the first 13 games.

9. New York Islanders (9-6-2)

Total points: 80
Last week: No. 12
Hit: Mathew Barzal has 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) in 17 games this season. He had two assists in a 5-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, making him a point-per-game player for his NHL career with 101 points (24 goals, 77 assists) in 101 games. He has four points (one goal, three assists) in the past three games.
Miss:Forward Matt Martin has missed five straight games because of an upper-body injury.

10. Washington Capitals (8-7-3)

Total points: 79
Last week: No. 11
Hit:The Capitals are tied with the Maple Leafs and Canucks for most goals scored in the second period (27). They have scored in the second period in 16 of their first 18 games.
Miss: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington's top-line center, left the game against the Jets on Wednesday in the first period because of an upper-body injury and didn't return. Capitals goalie Braden Holtby was scratched from the game because of an upper-body injury.

11. Calgary Flames (10-7-1)

Total points: 78
Last week: No. 7
Hit:Goalie David Rittich has played well in his eight games (six starts) this season, going 5-1-0 with a 1.91 goals-against average and .935 save percentage. Four of his wins have come on the road.
Miss:The Flames have scored four goals in the past three games, going 1-2-0. Johnny Gaudreau has no points in those games.

12. Buffalo Sabres (10-6-2)

Total points: 70
Last week: NR
Hit:Jeff Skinner has 12 goals in the past 11 games.
Miss: Jack Eichel has one goal in the past 15 games. But he does have 14 assists.

13. Vancouver Canucks (10-8-2)

Total points: 52
Last week: No. 14
Hit:Jake Virtanen has six goals in the past eight games after scoring two in the first 12 games.
Miss:The Canucks are 1-2-2 in their past five games. They're 1-for-13 on the power play in their past three games.

14. Colorado Avalanche (9-6-3)

Total points: 48
Last week: No. 8
Hit:The Avalanche lead the NHL with 41 goals on the road this season.
Miss: Forward J.T. Compher (head) missed his 12th straight game Wednesday, when forward Sven Andrighetto (lower body) missed his fifth in a row.

15. Montreal Canadiens (9-6-3)

Total points: 33
Last week: No. 13
Hit: Max Domi has 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in the past 14 games. He has five goals and six assists during a seven-game point streak.
Miss:The Canadiens have allowed 36 goals in eight games since a 3-0 win at the Bruins on Oct. 27.

16. Dallas Stars (9-7-2)

Total points: 25
Last week: No. 16
Hit: Forward Alexander Radulov scored in a 2-1 loss to the Blue Jackets on Monday. It was Radulov's first game back after he missed six straight and 10 of 11 with a lower-body injury.
Miss: The Stars are 1-2-2 in their past five games. They were held to one goal in three of those games and allowed at least one power-play goal in four, going 12-for-17 on the penalty kill in that span (70.6 percent).
Others receiving points: New York Rangers 24, Florida Panthers 10, Pittsburgh Penguins 6
Dropped out:Pittsburgh Penguins (No. 10)

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. San Jose Sharks; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Boston Bruins; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Calgary Flames; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Vancouver Canucks; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. Colorado Avalanche; 14. Montreal Canadiens; 15. Buffalo Sabres; 16. Florida Panthers
TIM CAMPBELL
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. San Jose Sharks; 9. Calgary Flames; 10. Vancouver Canucks; 11. Columbus Blue Jackets; 12. New York Islanders; 13. Dallas Stars; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. Colorado Avalanche; 16. Montreal Canadiens
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Minnesota Wild; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. Buffalo Sabres; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Columbus Blue Jackets; 9. Montreal Canadiens; 10. Calgary Flames; 11. New York Islanders; 12. New York Rangers; 13. San Jose Sharks; 14. Vancouver Canucks; 15. Dallas Stars; 16. Colorado Avalanche
NICK COTSONIKA
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. San Jose Sharks; 8. Columbus Blue Jackets; 9. Buffalo Sabres; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Calgary Flames; 12. Montreal Canadiens; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Florida Panthers; 15. Colorado Avalanche; 16. Dallas Stars
TOM GULITTI
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. San Jose Sharks; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Columbus Blue Jackets; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. Buffalo Sabres; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Montreal Canadiens; 13. Calgary Flames; 14. Colorado Avalanche; 15. New York Rangers; 16. Vancouver Canucks
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. San Jose Sharks; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Columbus Blue Jackets; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. Vancouver Canucks; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Calgary Flames; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Dallas Stars; 15. Buffalo Sabres; 16. New York Rangers
ROBERT LAFLAMME
1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Nashville Predators; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. San Jose Sharks; 6. Boston Bruins; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Calgary Flames; 9. Vancouver Canucks; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Washington Capitals; 12. New York Islanders; 13. Pittsburgh Penguins; 14. Buffalo Sabres; 15. Dallas Stars; 16. Montreal Canadiens
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. San Jose Sharks; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Toronto Maple Leafs; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Columbus Blue Jackets; 10. Calgary Flames; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. New York Islanders; 14. New York Rangers; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Buffalo Sabres
TRACEY MYERS
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. San Jose Sharks; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Columbus Blue Jackets; 9. New York Islanders; 10. New York Rangers; 11. Buffalo Sabres; 12. Vancouver Canucks; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Dallas Stars; 16. Montreal Canadiens
BILL PRICE
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Toronto Maple Leafs; 4. San Jose Sharks; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. Boston Bruins; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Columbus Blue Jackets; 9. New York Islanders; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. Buffalo Sabres; 13. Vancouver Canucks; 14. Calgary Flames; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Dallas Stars
SHAWN ROARKE
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Toronto Maple Leafs; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. San Jose Sharks; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Calgary Flames; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Montreal Canadiens; 12. New York Islanders; 13. Vancouver Canucks; 14. Dallas Stars; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins
DAN ROSEN
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. San Jose Sharks; 6. Minnesota Wild; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Columbus Blue Jackets; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. Buffalo Sabres; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Calgary Flames; 13. New York Rangers; 14. Colorado Avalanche; 15. Dallas Stars; 16. Vancouver Canucks
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Nashville Predators; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Winnipeg Jets; 6. San Jose Sharks; 7. Minnesota Wild; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Columbus Blue Jackets; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Buffalo Sabres; 12. Vancouver Canucks; 13. Calgary Flames; 14. Montreal Canadiens; 15. New York Rangers; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins