Super 16: Tight playoff races, remaining schedules highlight power rankings

The Stanley Cup Playoff races are on fire across the NHL.

It's tight for first place in the Atlantic and Pacific Divisions. The wild-card races in both conferences ebb and flow on a nightly basis. All teams except the Los Angeles Kings have 15 or fewer games to play. The Kings have 16.

"If you look at the races that we're having for the regular season, playoffs have started already," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "We're in our play-in tournament, and I think it's terrific."

The Super 16 this week takes aim at the big picture for each team answering the following questions:

Where are they in the race?

How are they playing?

What does their remaining schedule look like?

Are they in a favorable position?

Answers are below.

As a reminder, to come up with the Super 16 each week, the 14 voters this week 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 playoff race edition of the Super 16:

1. Washington Capitals (45-15-8)

Total points: 215
Last week: No. 1

"Although the Capitals are comfortably atop the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference, they're still pushing hard to beat out the Winnipeg Jets for first in the NHL with wins in seven of their past eight games. Heading into their final 14 regular-season games, they're striving to consistently put complete performances together. Playing two good periods can sometimes be enough in the regular season, but they know it probably won't be in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That and Alex Ovechkin's chase of Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894 goals -- he's eight from breaking it -- will be their main storylines over the remainder of the regular season." -- Tom Gulitti, senior writer

2. Winnipeg Jets (47-18-4)

Total points: 210
Last week: No. 2

"It's been a bit of a bumpier ride for the Jets since the calendar flipped to March, with five wins in nine games (5-3-1) and 20 goals allowed, including a 6-2 loss at the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. They still have a nine-point lead on the second-place Dallas Stars in the Central Division, but there's still a lot of work to do for the Jets to maintain that spot. They end March with a four-game homestand but follow that with a three-game road trip against the Kings, Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Hockey Club. After a quick trip home to play the St. Louis Blues, they visit Dallas. The Jets also have two more games left against the Edmonton Oilers, including at Rogers Place on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; SNW, TSN3)." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

3. Dallas Stars (43-21-3)

Total points: 189
Last week: No. 3

"The Stars are plugging along just fine. Granted, they've got the third-place Colorado Avalanche hot on their tail, but they're keeping pace. Mikko Rantanen, acquired in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7, is fitting in with four points (two goals, two assists) in five games. The Stars are getting contributions across the board, offensively and defensively and they'll need it through the final weeks of the regular season. Upcoming opponents include those gearing up for the postseason (Tampa Bay Lightning, Oilers) and those trying to get there (Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings). But I like how the Stars are playing, and I expect them to remain strong through the stretch run." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

4. Colorado Avalanche (41-25-3)

Total points: 178
Last week: No. 6

"The Avalanche were rolling going into Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. They had points in nine straight games (8-0-1) to gain ground on the Stars in the battle for second in the Central, which is crucial considering it determines home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. How about the recent play of goalie Scott Wedgewood? The veteran is 4-1-0 with a 1.60 goals-against average, .931 save percentage and one shutout in his past five starts. It's going to be huge for coach Jared Bednar to have two goalies he can rely on this last month of the regular season -- especially with Colorado playing seven of its last 13 on the road." – Brian Compton, managing editor

5. Carolina Hurricanes (41-22-4)

Total points: 166
Last week: No. 8

"The Hurricanes are rolling into California on a seven-game winning streak, one short of matching their season high. They have outscored opponents 24-9 during the winning streak. Their goaltending is as solid as ever, with Pyotr Kochetkov 4-0-0 with a 0.99 GAA and .960 save percentage, and Frederik Andersen 3-0-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .932 save percentage in the past seven games. The Hurricanes are firmly in second place in the Metropolitan Division, likely looking at a first-round series against the banged-up New Jersey Devils. The Rantanen trade situation seems to have had zero effect on this team. The only question now is can they score enough in the playoffs to win the Stanley Cup?" -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

6. Florida Panthers (41-24-3)

Total points: 154
Last week: No. 4

"All is not rosy for the defending champions. Is Florida still a threat to win it all this spring? You bet. Does it look as convincing as it once did? No. The absence of defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who's serving a 20-game suspension, can't be papered over. They allowed the New York Islanders to score four third-period goals in a 4-2 loss Sunday, which is not like the Panthers we all know. Look, the Panthers are virtually assured to make the postseason and right now hold the top seed in the Atlantic Division, but to be at their best, they need Matthew Tkachuk to return to the lineup and trade acquisition Brad Marchand to make his debut once he recovers from injury. They have two games remaining against the Toronto Maple Leafs and one against the Lightning, each two points behind them in the divisional race. Those are the games that will tell the hockey world where the Panthers are heading into the postseason." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

7. Vegas Golden Knights (39-20-8)

Total points: 149
Last week: No. 5

"The Golden Knights are in a good spot despite going 1-2-2 in their past five games. They're first in the Pacific Division, two points ahead of the Oilers with a game in hand. They're tied with the Hurricanes for the fourth-best record in the NHL (.642 points percentage). After a four-game road trip, they've had three days of rest, and now they have three games at home, where they're 24-7-3." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

8. Tampa Bay Lightning (39-23-5)

Total points: 129
Last week: No. 9

"It's all looking good for the Lightning, who have a chance to overtake the Panthers and Maple Leafs for first in the Atlantic, which is what they'd like to do. Though no team in the division has an easy path through the first round, a potential date with the Ottawa Senators is probably more enticing than one with the Maple Leafs or Panthers. The Lightning have been hot of late; since Jan. 30, they are 13-3-2, a run that included an eight-game winning streak. They have arguably the best goalie in the Eastern Conference, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and the second-highest goals for per game in the NHL (3.51), which all bodes well." -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

9. Toronto Maple Leafs (41-24-3)

Total points: 114
Last week: No. 7

"The Maple Leafs control much of their own destiny heading down the stretch toward the playoffs. They're in a three-team dogfight with the Panthers and Lightning in the Atlantic Division, and finishing in first comes with a notable advantage. Whomever ends up on top will face a wild-card team in the first round, while the other two -- the second- and third-place teams respectively -- will have to face each other. For hockey fans, any of Tampa Bay-Florida, Tampa Bay-Toronto or Florida-Toronto would be desirable from an entertainment point of view. On the other hand, it's something each of the three teams would like to avoid. That's where the Maple Leafs can alter their own fate, since they still have two games left against Florida and one against Tampa Bay. Winning those would go a long way into getting a more favorable first round matchup." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

10. Edmonton Oilers (40-24-4)

Total points: 102
Last week: No. 11

"The Oilers seem to have weathered the storm coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off and are again challenging for first place in the Pacific Division. They were 3-7-0 in their first 10 games coming out of the break but have since won three straight going into their showdown with the Jets on Thursday. They broke out with an emphatic 7-1 win against Utah on Tuesday and got the secondary scoring they were lacking during the slump. The Oilers woke up Thursday two points behind the Golden Knights and three ahead of the Kings in the Pacific. Edmonton is looking to finish first in its division for the first time since 1986-87 and with 14 games remaining is in good position to make a run at top spot." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

11. Los Angeles Kings (36-21-9)

Total points: 79
Last week: No. 10

"Following their game at the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, 11 of the Kings' final 15 games are at home, where they are 23-3-4, including 9-0-3 in their past 12. That's good news because what would really help the Kings would be finishing first in the Pacific Division so they would not have to play the Oilers in the first round. Los Angeles has been eliminated in the first round each of the past three seasons by Edmonton." -- David Satriano, staff writer

12. Ottawa Senators (36-26-5)

Total points: 60
Last week: No. 14

"The Senators saw a winning streak of six games end Tuesday against the Monreal Canadiens. Dylan Cozens is playing well and giving this team a lot of depth at center. It was a key acquisition by the Senators before the Deadline. They're in a good position in the push for a playoff spot, four points ahead of Montreal and five clear of the Rangers with two games in hand. In April, the Senators will finish the season with eight games out of nine at home." -- Jean-Francois Chaumont, journalist principal LNH.com

13. Minnesota Wild (39-25-5)

Total points: 59
Last week: No. 12

"A seemingly reassuring eight-point lead over the closest non-playoff team doesn't feel nearly big enough to the Wild right now, even though they hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. After climbing to the top of the NHL standings Dec. 6 thanks to a 18-4-4 start, Minnesota has gone 21-21-1 since with a minus-31 goal differential. Without injured forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek, the offense has fallen off. Before his two goals in Wedneday's 4-0 win against the Seattle Kraken, Matt Boldy hadn't scored in 11 games. Marco Rossi, the other of the Wild's most productive healthy forwards, hadn't scored in 10 games -- and then the Wild lost him for the night after he played just 3:00 when he took a puck off his leg. The Wild have scored two goals or fewer in nine of their past 12 games and 12 of the past 17. They have averaged 2.06 goals per game since Feb. 1 (last in the NHL over that stretch). Mercifully, Minnesota's remaining schedule isn't brutal with just six away games and six of 13 against non-playoff teams." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

14. New Jersey Devils (37-26-6)

Total points: 51
Last week: No. 13

"The Devils remain on course to qualify for playoffs for the second time in three seasons despite missing some key pieces in center Jack Hughes (shoulder surgery), and defensemen Dougie Hamilton (lower body) and Jonas Siegenthaler (lower body). They've won four of their past five games and are third in the Metropolitan Division, six points behind the second-place Hurricanes, who have two games in hand, and eight points ahead of the Rangers. Among the 13 regular-season games remaining, nine are at home, where the Devils are 17-11-4." -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

15. St. Louis Blues (34-28-7)

Total points: 20
Last week: NR

"The Blues were in a playoff spot as recently as recently as Tuesday. It lasted about an hour, between the end of their 4-1 win against the Nashville Predators and the end of the Canucks' 6-2 win against the Jets. The Canucks are in the second wild-card spot now, but the Blues are right there, tied with them with 75 points but in one more game played, so it's perfect timing the Blues and Canucks play at Enterprise Center on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; Disney+, HULU, ESPN+, SNP). It's been quite a climb for the Blues, whose 25 points (11-3-3) since Feb. 2 are tied for the most in the League. Their remaining schedule is also favorable with eight of their last 13 games at home, and seven against teams that are not currently in a playoff spot, including two against Nashville in the next eight days." -- Rosen

16. Montreal Canadiens (33-27-7)

Total points: 18
Last week: NR

"The Canadiens are 8-1-2 since returning from the 4 Nations break. This week, they won at home against the Panthers (3-1) and the Senators (6-3). Goalie Sam Montembeault is 7-0-1 with a 2.09 GAA and .922 save percentage during the stretch. Captain Nick Suzuki is carrying the Canadiens with 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in his past 11 games. Montreal will not have an easy calendar until April with five of its next six games on the road." -- Chaumont

Others receiving points: Vancouver Canucks 6, New York Rangers 4, Calgary Flames 1

Dropped out from last week: Columbus Blue Jackets (No. 15), Calgary Flames (No. 16)

Enterprise Team of the Week: The Canadiens played their way into the Super 16 and a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with their most recent wins coming against the No. 6 Panthers and No. 12 Senators. They were down 2-1 in the second period against Ottawa and tied 3-3 in the third before running away with the win. Montreal chose to stay the course before the Deadline, re-signing forward Jake Evans to a four-year contract ($2.85 million average annual value), and not trading pending unrestricted free agents David Savard, Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak. The goal was to give this year's team a chance to make the playoffs. It's looking like the right move. -- Rosen

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Washington Capitals; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Winnipeg Jets; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Carolina Hurricanes; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Vancouver Canucks

JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAUMONT

1. Winnipeg Jets; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Carolina Hurricanes; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Minnesota Wild; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. St. Louis Blues

BRIAN COMPTON

1. Washington Capitals; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Vancouver Canucks

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. Washington Capitals; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Vancouver Canucks; 16. Montreal Canadiens

TOM GULITTI

1. Washington Capitals; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Calgary Flames

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Winnipeg Jets; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Florida Panthers; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Carolina Hurricanes; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. New York Rangers; 16. St. Louis Blues

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Winnipeg Jets; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Minnesota Wild; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. New York Rangers; 16. St. Louis Blues

TRACEY MYERS

1. Washington Capitals; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. Montreal Canadiens

SHAWN P. ROARKE

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Washington Capitals; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Edmonton Oilers; 12. St. Louis Blues; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Montreal Canadiens

DAN ROSEN

1. Washington Capitals; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Winnipeg Jets; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Vegas Golden Knights; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. St. Louis Blues; 14. Montreal Canadiens; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Minnesota Wild

DAVID SATRIANO

1. Winnipeg Jets; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. New Jersey Devils; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. Montreal Canadiens

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

1. Washington Capitals; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Minnesota Wild; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. Montreal Canadiens; 16. Vancouver Canucks

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. Washington Capitals; 2. Winnipeg Jets; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. New Jersey Devils; 14. Minnesota Wild; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. Vancouver Canucks

MIKE ZEISBERGER

1. Winnipeg Jets; 2. Washington Capitals; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Carolina Hurricanes; 11. Los Angeles Kings; 12. Minnesota Wild; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. Montreal Canadiens