Top Spot Goes to Rangers as Kings and Avalanche Rise: Super 16 Rankings

11. Winnipeg Jets (12-7-2) Total points: 73 Last week: No. 10

Offensively, the Winnipeg Jets are showing strength through a team effort, but one player is standing out. Cole Perfetti, the 21-year-old forward, has been outperforming his linemates with 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 21 games. Playing on the second line with Vladislav Namestnikov and Nikolaj Ehlers, Perfetti’s talent has not gone unnoticed by teammate Mark Scheifele, who sees a lot of himself in the young player. Perfetti’s unsung role may not last for much longer, according to staff writer Paul Strizhevsky.

12. Detroit Red Wings (11-7-3) Total points: 71 Last week: No. 16

The Detroit Red Wings improved significantly in offensive performance this season with the addition of players like forward Alex DeBrincat and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. Gostisbehere has particularly shone, with 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 20 games, making his mark on the power play and contributing to Detroit’s success, as columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika notes.

13. Tampa Bay Lightning (10-8-5) Total points: 32 Last week: No. 13

Erik Cernak has quietly been making a significant impact as an unsung player for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. Despite the team’s ups and downs, the 6-foot-3 defenseman continues to showcase his physical, grinding style of play, as highlighted by Rosen.

14. Washington Capitals (11-6-2) Total points: 30 Last week: No. 11

Rasmus Sandin’s defensive improvement has made him a valuable asset to the Washington Capitals’ success this season, as observed by Staff Writer Tom Gulitti. Sandin’s reliability on defense has been crucial, especially in the absence of injured players.

15. New Jersey Devils (10-9-1) Total points: 29 Last week: No. 15

Brendan Smith’s versatility and determination have made him a standout for the New Jersey Devils this season. Despite being listed as a defenseman, Smith has seamlessly transitioned to a fourth-line left-wing position in the absence of key forwards, showcasing his adaptability and physical play, as noted by Morreale.

16. Nashville Predators (11-10-0) Total points: 24 Last week: Unranked

Yakov Trenin’s recent performance has played a significant role in the Nashville Predators’ success, leading them to a six-game winning streak and earning them a spot in the Super 16. Trenin’s contributions, along with other players like Cole Smith, Colton Sissons, and Alexandre Carrier, have been instrumental in the team’s recent victories, according to Rosen.

Other notes:

St. Louis Blues received 19 points, Philadelphia Flyers 5, Edmonton Oilers 4, Calgary Flames 1, New York Islanders 1

Teams dropped from last week: Flyers (No. 14)

New Amsterdam Game of the Week

Each week, NHL.com will highlight one game featuring two teams in the Super 16. This week, it’s the Colorado Avalanche against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; BSW, ALT, SN1). The No. 4 Avalanche have won four in a row and seven of eight. The No. 2 Kings had won five in a row before losing 2-1 to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. This is a rematch of the season opener for both teams, a 5-2 Colorado win in Los Angeles on Oct. 11, as reported by Rosen.

Here’s How We Ranked ‘Em

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

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

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

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

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

Mike G. Morreale: 1. Boston Bruins, 2. Los Angeles Kings, 3. Colorado Avalanche, 4. Dallas Stars, 5. New York Rangers, 6. Toronto Maple Leafs, 7. Vegas Golden Knights, 8. Florida Panthers, 9. Vancouver Canucks, 10. Winnipeg Jets, 11. Carolina Hurricanes, 12. New Jersey Devils, 13. Detroit Red Wings, 14. St. Louis Blues, 15. Nashville Predators, 16. New York Islanders

Tracey Myers: 1. New York Rangers, 2. Boston Bruins, 3. Vegas Golden Knights, 4. Los Angeles Kings, 5. Colorado Avalanche, 6. Dallas Stars, 7. Vancouver Canucks, 8. Florida Panthers, 9. Winnipeg Jets, 10. Toronto Maple Leafs, 11. Carolina Hurricanes, 12. Detroit Red Wings, 13. Nashville Predators, 14. Washington Capitals, 15. Tampa Bay Lightning

Reference