Super 16: Improvements needed for playoff contenders

The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin in 23 days and every team ranked in the Super 16 this week is in position to make it.

Some are in better position than others. But they're all in control of their own destiny.

They all want to get there, and they want to feel good about their game when they do. That's why this week in the Super 16, we're talking about areas that each team ranked has to clean up or at the very least, hone in on before the playoffs begin April 20.

The rankings also turned over a bit this week, with the New York Rangers moving up five spots to No. 1 and the Dallas Stars four spots to No. 4, while the Florida Panthers dropped from No. 1 to No. 5, the Boston Bruins plummeted from No. 2 to No. 6, and the Winnipeg Jets went from No. 3 to No. 9.

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 repairs that are required edition of the Super 16:

1. New York Rangers (48-20-4)

Total points: 184
Last week: No. 6

"Though they clearly need to have defensemen Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren healthy for the postseason, getting their power play clicking again is their most important goal the final three weeks of the regular season. Since scoring three power-play goals in a 6-5 overtime win in the 2024 Stadium Series against the New York Islanders on Feb. 18, the Rangers are 14th on the power play at 23.5 percent, scoring 12 goals in 51 chances, including 1-for-1 in a wild 6-5 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. They need to score on the power play because at 5-on-5, they are tied for 16th in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins with 147 goals." -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

2. Colorado Avalanche (46-21-5)

Total points: 163
Last week: No. 4

"The Avalanche are coming off a nine-game winning streak and are arguably the strongest team in the NHL right now, boasting a candidate for the Hart Trophy and Art Ross Trophy in Nathan MacKinnon and a perennial Norris Trophy candidate in Cale Makar. The Avalanche are playing like they are ready for the playoffs and coach Jared Bednar's main job is to keep his team focused over the next three weeks and on stride for the playoffs. If you want to nitpick, the Avalanche could spend some time working on face-offs. At 48.0 percent, they are in the bottom half of the League. In the postseason, when margins become razor thin, this could become a liability." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

3. Vancouver Canucks (45-19-8)

Total points: 155
Last week: No. 5

"The Canucks are obviously in a good spot, first in the Pacific Division, an eight-point lead on the Edmonton Oilers with 10 games to play (Edmonton has 12 games remaining). They've been the best defensive team in the League in March, allowing 1.70 goals and 22.7 shots on goal per game. There's no debating their ability to keep the puck away from the opposition. But the offense that carried them earlier in the season needs to return. They've scored 2.90 goals per game in March, clearly enough to win as they're 7-2-1 in the month, but it is a drop from the 3.58 they were scoring in the first five months of the season. Their power play is 15.4 percent in March after going 23.0 percent from October-February. It's not enough to send off alarm bells, especially because they have been so stingy defensively, but the Canucks have firepower and in the playoffs, they're going to have to use it, so it'd be better if they started to light the fuse now." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

4. Dallas Stars (45-19-9)

Total points: 153
Last week: No. 8

"I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating; the Stars need to shore things up in goal. Jake Oettinger hasn't been as consistent as he'd like this season, going 28-13-4 with a 2.97 goals-against average, .898 save percentage and one shutout in 46 games (45 starts). Oettinger had a much heavier workload last season but went 37-11-11 with a 2.37 GAA, .919 save percentage and five shutouts in 62 games (61 starts). He was a huge reason the Stars advanced to the Western Conference Final last season and if he can tighten things up down the stretch, the Stars, already in good shape, will be in great shape." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

5. Florida Panthers (46-21-5)

Total points: 151
Last week: No. 1

"The Panthers need to remember they're at their best when creating tons of scoring chances on the forecheck, something that has been lacking in a recent 1-4-1 slide over the past six games. When Florida has the puck, it's all about gaining speed through the neutral zone. When the opposition has it, they create turnovers by pressuring puck carriers. The Panthers have proven to be a resilient group despite any mishaps and ailments all season, something they're dealing with now in the absence of defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who has missed the past seven games with a lower-body injury." -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

6. Boston Bruins (42-17-15)

Total points: 147
Last week: No. 2

"With the caveat that the Bruins are one of the best teams in the NHL, there's a lot they need to clean up before they head into the playoffs. They showed their potential on Tuesday when they came back three times in a 4-3 win against the Panthers, but they also showed their weaknesses. They have shown a tendency to give up goals late in periods, to give up goals immediately after they've scored, and to give up far too many netfront goals. It's a tough way to win and though they showed their resiliency Tuesday, it's also an area that needs to be addressed and shored up in the next three weeks." -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

7. Carolina Hurricanes (45-21-7)

Total points: 121
Last week: No. 7

"The Hurricanes are 11-3-1 since Feb. 27, so let's state the obvious here; they're fine and this is nitpicking. But they have to figure out if Evgeny Kuznetsov is a fit for them. Can he play their style over the long haul? Kuznetsov, acquired from the Washington Capitals on March 8, has always been a slow it down, east-west type of player. The Hurricanes have always been a speed it up, north-south team under coach Rod Brind'Amour. Kuznetsov had a stretch of four games when he had five points (two goals, three assists), but he has no points in four games, including being a minus-2 in a 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. If there are doubts about Kuznetsov, the Hurricanes have to figure out in the next nine games if they're for real or unfounded. What a bonus it is for the Hurricanes if he is an impact player for them." -- Rosen

8. Nashville Predators (43-25-4)

Total points: 111
Last week: No. 10

"The Predators are 16-0-2 since a 9-2 loss to the Stars on Feb. 15. It'd be crazy of me to try to find flaws with them right now, areas of the game that need to be cleaned up. They should be considered a Stanley Cup favorite with the way they've played in the past 18 games -- plus-41 goal differential, 24.0 percent on the power play, 84.1 percent on the penalty kill, 15 goals from Filip Forsberg, a Norris Trophy-like 24 points and plus-22 rating from Roman Josi, Juuse Saros with a 1.92 GAA and .932 save percentage. Sure, they shouldn't fall behind 3-0 to the Vegas Golden Knights, as they did Tuesday. They won the game 5-4 in overtime. Nitpick at that? Nope." -- Rosen

9. Winnipeg Jets (44-22-6)

Total points: 95
Last week: No. 3

"The Jets are going to qualify for the playoffs but they're in a funk right now, having lost four straight, getting outscored 17-7. They rank second in the NHL in goals against per game (2.44), so it's not too much of a concern but what is concerning is special teams. Winnipeg is 22nd on the power play (18.4 percent) and is tied for 23rd on the penalty kill (76.5) percent." -- David Satriano, staff writer

10. Edmonton Oilers (43-23-4)

Total points: 91
Last week: No. 9

"The Oilers have been one of the best teams in the NHL since making a coaching change on Nov. 12, hiring Kris Knoblauch to replace Jay Woodcroft. Edmonton is 40-14-3 under Knoblauch and second in the Pacific Division, yet still needs to clean up some aspects of its defensive game if it is to make a long run in the playoffs. At times, the Oilers need to be better in front of goalie Stuart Skinner and limit the number of Grade-A chances they give up. Skinner has done a good job of bailing out his team, particularly early in games as Edmonton is notorious for getting off to slow starts. The Oilers have given up the first goal 34 times this season and have been able to battle back to win 18 times. Giving up the first goal in the playoffs is not a recipe for success in the playoffs and the Oilers will need to be better early in games." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

11. Los Angeles Kings (38-22-11)

Total points: 64
Last week: No. 13

"As recently as a week ago, I would have pointed to the Kings' struggling offense as the weakness that could cost them a playoff berth. But Los Angeles has regained its stride with four wins in a row by a combined 19-7 score, including its most recent victories against the Tampa Bay Lightning (3-2) and Canucks (4-3 in overtime). With 11 games left, of which only three are against teams in playoff position, it is going to take a massive collapse on their part to squander a seven-point lead over the St. Louis Blues with a game in hand. The more pressing task is to stay in front of the Golden Knights to avoid slipping into the second wild card and having to face the top Western Conference team right away. To their credit, the Kings are running on all cylinders to make that happen." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

12. Toronto Maple Leafs (40-22-9)

Total points: 63
Last week: No. 11

"It's not about stats with the Maple Leafs; it's about the willingness to lay it on the line, understanding there are still games to play and it's not a foregone conclusion that they will finish third in the Atlantic Division, which it has felt like for quite a long time now. The Maple Leafs were blasted by coach Sheldon Keefe after a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. He said they played an "immature game" and called out captain John Tavares by name, saying if he's not fully engaged, "the rest of our bunch is making it up as we go along." The Maple Leafs will make the playoffs. It'd be a shock if they dropped out with a 10-point cushion and 11 games to play, but they need to harden their game on a consistent basis. Slippage in that area will doom them in the playoffs. Auston Matthews said they need to have a killer instinct. He's right." -- Rosen

13. Tampa Bay Lightning (40-25-7)

Total points: 54
Last week: No. 12

"The Lightning have all but secured themselves a wild card in the East with a rock-solid March. They were 7-1-1 in the month entering Wednesday, but I still think they have another level. That begins with their No. 1 goalie. We all know the resume Andrei Vasilevskiy boasts, but he has a .904 save percentage in eight starts in March. If he can boost that to somewhere between .915 and .920 between now and the end of the regular season, Tampa Bay is going to be an awfully tough out next month." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

14. Vegas Golden Knights (39-25-8)

Total points: 40
Last week: No. 14

"The Golden Knights must, must, must be better in the third period. This isn't just because they 4-1 lead after two periods against the Predators on Tuesday only to lose 5-4 in overtime. It's not a recency bias. It's longer than that. They are minus-12 in third-period goal differential in March, 26-14. They gave up the three in the third to the Predators on top of allowing three to the Lightning in a 5-3 loss, four to the Calgary Flames in a 4-1 loss, three to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 6-3 loss and four to the Buffalo Sabres in a 7-2 loss all this month. They're winning a lot of games going into the third period and then they give it away." -- Rosen

15. Washington Capitals (36-26-9)

Total points: 22
Last week: No. 16

"To qualify for the playoffs, the Capitals need to continue to play close games where they rely on their defensive structure, the goaltending of Charlie Lindgren and timely scoring. The Capitals run into trouble when they fall behind and have to open up to chase goals and erase deficits, as evidenced by their 7-3 loss to the Maple Leafs on March 20. When they can play with the lead or stay within a goal or two, they have found ways to win, such as their 4-3 overtime victory against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday." -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

16. Philadelphia Flyers (36-27-10)

Total points: 17
Last week: No. 15

"The biggest issue for the Flyers has been finding a consistent level of play in the defensive zone, having allowed four or more goals in five of their past nine. There have been a few factors, including the absence of three of their top six defensemen; Nick Seeler (lower body), Jamie Drysdale (upper body) and Rasmus Ristolainen  (upper body), with rookies Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning pressed into duty to replace them, combined with an increase in ice time for the top pair of Travis Sanheim and Cam York. And some of the struggles can be attributed to the competition -- the five games were against the Lightning, Maple Leafs, Bruins, Panthers and Rangers, each of whom ranks in the top 13 in the NHL in goals per game. The good news is the three injured defensemen each have begun skating and are expected to return before the end of the regular season, and their final nine games include just two against teams currently in a playoff position. Rediscovering that consistent level in their own end will make life easier for goalie Samuel Ersson and add fuel to an offense that thrives in transition created by forcing turnovers and killing plays in the defensive zone." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

Others receiving points: St. Louis Blues 1

Dropped out: None

New Amsterdam Game of the Week

Each week, NHL.com will highlight one game that features two teams in the Super 16. In this edition, it's the top two teams in the rankings, the No. 1 Rangers against the No. 2 Avalanche at Ball Arena on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; MSG, ALT, TVAS-D)

It's an East-West matchup, but it's a big test for both teams, a measuring stick game if you will for the visiting Rangers and the host Avalanche. The Rangers became the first team to clinch a playoff berth and get to 100 points when they won 6-5 in overtime against the Flyers on Tuesday. The Avalanche had a nine-game winning streak end in a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. They're both in the running for the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the best record in the regular season. And there's the storyline of Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, who has at least one point in all 35 home games this season. Only Wayne Gretzky had a longer home point streak than MacKinnon. He had a point in all 40 home games with the Los Angeles Kings in 1988-89. -- Rosen

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED ’EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

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

BRIAN COMPTON

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

TOM GULITTI

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

ADAM KIMELMAN

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

MIKE G. MORREALE

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

TRACEY MYERS

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

BILL PRICE

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

SHAWN P. ROARKE

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

DAN ROSEN

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

DAVID SATRIANO

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

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

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

DEREK VAN DIEST

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